Rural Cellular chooses Ericsson for CDMA, GSM overlays

New York: Rural Cellular Corporation (RCC) has selected Ericsson to provide CDMA2000 1X and GSM/GPRS core and radio access infrastructure and services throughout its network in the US. The five-year contract is Ericsson''s first to include both CDMA and GSM/GPRS equipment.

Beginning immediately, Ericsson will install GSM/GPRS equipment in RCC's Northeast region and CDMA2000 equipment in its Midwest region. By deploying both CDMA2000 and GSM/GPRS overlays, RCC will be able to offer advanced wireless services compatible with its roaming partners for both standards.

"Ericsson's strategy to use common core platforms for our different technology offerings makes sense for a number of reasons, but it is a rare distinction to provide CDMA2000 and GSM/GPRS to a single operator," says Angel Ruiz, head of Ericsson in North America. "Besides giving RCC a great deal of flexibility in meeting its customers'' needs for innovative, quality services, Ericsson's common core platform protects RCC's investments in both CDMA2000 and GSM/GPRS as its network needs evolve."

"RCC has roaming agreements with both CDMA and GSM/GPRS operators, so it was important for us to select a vendor that can deliver equipment and applications for both technologies," says RCC president and CEO Richard Ekstrand. "Ericsson''s common core platform across both standards will help us maximise our revenues and control our costs."

A leading rural service provider headquartered in Alexandria, Minnesota, RCC (www.rccwireless.com) was established in 1990 and conducted its initial public offering in February 1996. RCC has completed a series of acquisitions and now serves over 750,000 wireless customers in 44 markets in the Midwest, Northeast, South and Northwest regions. From its array of services including cellular, paging, long distance and PCS, RCC tailors its offering to address the needs of each of its rural markets in 14 states.