T-Mobile today announced that it plans to spend $3.5 billion on networking equipment from Ericsson over the next few years.
Ericsson will supply T-Mobile with its 3GPP-compliant 5G NR hardware and software for its 5G network. T-Mobile plans to use various spectrum bands for 5G, all of which can be covered by Ericsson’s equipment. In addition to powering 5G, T-Mobile will rely on Ericsson’s gear to bolster its LTE 4G network. T-Mobile’s existing Ericsson-supplied LTE base stations can eventually be upgraded to 5G NR with a software update.
News of the T-Mobile’s deal with Ericsson comes as all the major network operators are scrambling to be the first to launch 5G. Each is taking a slightly different approach.
