US operator MetroPCS has contracted Ericsson as the infrastructure vendor for its upcoming LTE network.
MetroPCS, which will launch LTE services in late 2010, has also contracted Samsung America to provide LTE-compatible handsets. The company said initial handsets for its network will be dual-mode LTE/CDMA phones.
“With the announcement of our LTE launch vendors, MetroPCS will move directly to 4G,” CEO Roger Linquist said.
Ericsson launched the industry's first commercially available LTE platform in April last year. The company has since won major LTE contracts from NTT DoCoMo and Verizon Wireless. Ericsson also issued the world's first LTE patent licenses in June this year.
MetroPCS is the fifth largest carrier in the US, with a subscriber base of around 6.3 million. It operates in 21 metropolitan markets.