Despite increased competition with Open RAN technologies, Ericsson just had two more wins with its proprietary technology in relatively low population areas. Eastern Kentucky will get a standalone 5G network while American Samoa will get a non-standalone 5G network.
Appalachian Wireless has chosen Ericsson to upgrade its 4G network to a cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core and the Ericsson Radio System to support 4G and 5G SA connectivity. With 120,000 subscribers, Appalachian Wireless, a partnership between several rural Appalachia telephone cooperatives, offers wireless to underserved areas of Kentucky and West Virginia.
“Over the years, Appalachian Wireless and Ericsson have shared a long and successful partnership,” said Mike Johnson, Assistant CEO of Appalachian Wireless. “We trust Ericsson to provide equipment and services that will allow us to better serve our customers and bring 5G to our communities.”
Ericsson Brings 5G to American Samoa
In a new relationship, Ericsson is deploying 5G for Bluesky, a telecommunications and network service provider in the United States Territory of American Samoa. Ericsson will upgrade the existing core network, radios and other equipment.
The project will include the Ericsson Radio System, Cloud Core, Cloud Unified Data Management, IP Multimedia Subsystem solutions and a cloud execution environment to support 3G, 4G and 5G Non-standalone connections. The modernization allows Bluesky to offer enhanced mobile broadband and improved user experiences. Deployment will begin in late 2022.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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