ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. and L.M. Ericsson won T-Mobile USA Inc.’s third-generation network buildout business as the nation’s fourth-largest carrier sets out to offer its 22 million subscribers greater data throughput via W-CDMA technology.
The companies didn’t share financial details about their contract wins, and it’s possible that additional vendors will be announced. In October, T-Mobile USA said it expected to spend about $2.6 billion over two to three years to upgrade its network to 3G, with major markets ready to serve subscribers with 3G services by mid-2007.
Ericsson said it was selected for its turnkey network rollout capabilities and will serve as the “prime radio provider” for W-CDMA 3G services in certain markets, including New York City.
Meanwhile, Nokia raved that T-Mobile USA will be the first U.S. operator to deploy its modular Flexi W-CDMA base stations, which the company claims are fully HSPA capable and low in power consumption.
The contracts are contingent upon the Federal Communications Commission’s award of spectrum, for which T-Mobile USA plunked down $4.2 billion during the recent spectrum auction.
