Leading Japanese operator KDDI has selected Ericsson as one of the prime vendors to deploy its LTE system and Evolved Packet Core network.
 
Under the contract, Ericsson will provide a LTE radio access network based on RBS6000 as well as the Evolved Packet Core. The radio access network is based on LTE FDD. In addition to network solutions, Ericsson will provide related services such as network rollout and systems integration.
 
The selection marks a milestone as it is the first time Ericsson and KDDI have collaborated to implement a radio access network.
 
Jan Signell, Head of Region North East Asia at Ericsson, says: "Ericsson has been collaborating closely with KDDI to demonstrate the value of our globally recognized LTE solution. We firmly believe that KDDI's subscribers will benefit from the superior user experience and time to market of new technology that our global LTE solution provides. We are proud that KDDI is entrusting us to deliver these values."
 
Ericsson is the market leader in LTE. Today, approximately 50 percent of the world's LTE smartphone traffic is served by Ericsson networks, which is more than double the traffic of its closest competitor. More than 180 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered worldwide, of which more than 110 have gone live commercially.
 
Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada, and has been selected by the top 10 LTE operators worldwide, ranked in terms of LTE subscriptions. We expect to hold 25 percent of all essential patents in LTE, covering both TDD and FDD mode, and we support common hardware and software for FDD and TDD systems, giving operators maximum flexibility in their FDD and TDD deployments.