Rural carriers have another option in looking to rollout LTE services as NewCore Wireless today said it was “flipping the switch” on its hosted switching platform. The platform, with equipment provided by Ericsson, is set to host operations in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas.
NewCore explained that the equipment builds on its current 2G/3G hosting platform that was launched in 2009.
North Dakota-based SRT Communications is one of the first carriers to take advantage of the LTE core, stating it will rely on the platform for its planned LTE deployment.
Rural carriers have a number of options when it comes to rolling out LTE services, as highlighted by a recent RCR Wireless News report: “LTE for little ones.” Those options include rolling out their own networks using spectrum and infrastructure controlled by the carrier; partnering with other regional operators to control costs; partnering with a nationwide operator; or using a hosted-services model.
One reason rural carriers are eager to move towards LTE is the inherent cost and spectrum efficiencies embedded in the new technology. Macquarie Equities Research released a report this summer noting that the cost to deliver a bit of data over an LTE network was roughly 66% cheaper than delivering that same bit over a 3G-based network. The firm claims that in talking with carriers and vendors, the cost in capital expenditures and operating expenditures to deliver 1 gigabyte of data over LTE is roughly $3.20, while delivering 1 GB over 3G is $9.39.
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