Ericsson works with regional wireless operators to bring benefits of LTE to rural America

LTE networks to deliver mobile broadband to residents and businesses in rural and underserved communities across the United States and its territories
Ericsson is the technology and services leader in working with regional carriers to bring benefits of LTE to consumers
Enabling communication for all is part of Ericsson’s Networked Society vision
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is working with operators to enhance the wireless experience for all Americans while enabling greater operational savings with the delivery of LTE mobile broadband networks to eight regional wireless operators in the United States and Guam.

Operators who have recently selected Ericsson to build their LTE networks include:

Appalachian Wireless (Kentucky) – LTE network to cover the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Kentucky
Agri-Valley Communications (Michigan) – LTE network will cover more than 70 percent of Michigan across the Lower and Upper Peninsula of the state
Bluegrass Cellular (Kentucky) – Will deploy Ericsson’s LTE network to provide access to 4G data services to customers throughout the central portion of the state.
Enhanced Telecommunications Corp. (Indiana) – Will offer LTE to customers for fixed broadband access, and deploy the Ericsson Mobile Broadband Router as a home gateway
Globecomm (New York) – Will provide Ericsson LTE Core hosting services in addition to the Ericsson 2G and 3G hosted services already connecting a number of rural and regional operators
IT&E (Guam) – LTE network offering both fixed and mobile services will cover the island of Guam, a territory of the United States, located in the western Pacific Ocean
South Georgia Regional Information Technology Authority (Georgia) – Regional IT company in southeast Georgia building LTE to reach consumers and businesses with wireless broadband
VTel Wireless (Vermont) – Will connect rural and underserved communities across the state, as well as nearly 1,000 smart meter collection points
Steven K. Berry, President & CEO of RCA – The Competitive Carriers Association, said, "Ericsson has been a great partner for rural and regional carriers, and I am delighted that Ericsson has again assisted eight carriers in deploying LTE networks. Our members need solutions to find pathways to 4G/LTE services, and thanks to the innovative work from companies like Ericsson, competitive carriers can achieve this important goal."

LTE, the next generation of mobile communication technology, enables the fast transfer of huge amounts of data in an efficient and cost-effective way, optimizing the use of the frequency spectrum. With increased speed and decreased latency, consumers can enjoy a wide range of applications – such as video conferencing and access to the web and mobile apps – effortlessly, while on the move. LTE will meet the demands of new and enhanced mobile internet applications of the future.

"We are moving from the information society to the Networked Society, where the primary concern is not just having access to information, but what benefit you get out of it," said Craig Stein, executive vice president, US Regions, Broadband & Media for Ericsson. "Working for many years with rural coverage in the U.S., Ericsson has built a deep understanding of the market. In combination with our early start in LTE technology, this makes us a natural choice to help bring broadband to people in these areas."

Broadband availability and speed drive economic growth, an issue of particular importance to rural areas. In 2010, Ericsson and Arthur D. Little concluded that for every 10 percentage point increase in broadband penetration GDP increases by 1 percent. A follow up study in 2011 concerning the impact of broadband speed upgrades on GDP, showed that doubling the broadband speed for an OECD economy increases GDP growth by 0.3 percent.

The global LTE population coverage is 325 million, of which 215 million are covered by Ericsson networks.