U.S. carrier MetroPCS has selected Ericsson as the supplier of equipment and services to transform its distributed nationwide Evolved Packet Core network. The transformation will enhance key services including high-speed data, voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Rich Communication Services for MetroPCS customers across the United States. This allows MetroPCS to handle high-capacity needs and save costs by consolidating multiple applications on the same platform.    

According to Ericsson, it will serve as the project's prime integrator with responsibility for design, installation and commissioning, and post-launch customer support.

The LTE core transformation will be deployed by implementing Ericsson's end-to-end solution, which includes Evolved Packet Gateway (EPG) on the SSR 8000 family of Smart Service Routers, Mobility Management Entity (MME) on the Ericsson Blade System, MkVIII platform and Integrated multi-technology operations support systems.