The deal is an expansion of an existing contract signed between the two companies in 2012, and includes RBS 6000 base station equipment, installation and the integration of LTE-A radio sites.
As well as helping T-Mobile with its nationwide upgrade, Ericsson with improve in-building, highway and rural performance, and expand the availability of high-quality VoLTE services; which enable customers to access data services on the LTE network during a voice call.
“We are constantly working to enhance and grow our network for our customers,” said Neville Ray, CTO at T-Mobile US.
“With the help of Ericsson LTE equipment and services, not only have we rolled out the faster nationwide LTE network in the US in record time, we’re able to continue advancing voice and data performance at an unprecedented pace.”
T-Mobile claims to be the first US mobile operator to have deployed single radio voice call continuity (eSRVCC) technology which is designed to allow the seamless transition of VoLTE calls between LTE and existing 2G/3G networks.
As T-Mobile increases its services in this area, Ericsson has enabled Wifi calling via its evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) which interoperates with the US player’s existing infrastructure.
“We are pleased to provide T-Mobile with both equipment and services to support its dedication to innovation and rapid deployment plans,” said Angel Ruiz, head of Ericsson North America.
Rival operator Verizon announced the launch of VoLTE services in August this year.
The sale of T-Mobile US is still up in the air following the branding of Illiad’s bid for the company as “inadequate”, and Deutsche Telekom is now rumoured to be revaluating its plan to sell-off the business.
