UScellular again tapped Ericsson to provide equipment as part of a broader rollout of its 5G services, selecting the vendor to deploy C-Band antennas with the goal of launching commercial services by end-2023.

Ericsson stated UScellular chose it to deliver C-Band and 3.45GHz radio equipment, and its RAN compute platform. The vendor will also provide network expertise covering midband spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) services.

UScellular previously installed Ericsson’s RAN equipment for low-band and mmWave 5G services.

C-Band operates in midband spectrum frequency between 3.7GHz and 4GHz, delivering broader coverage than mmWave.

UScellular aims to employ C-Band for FWA services in rural areas or parts of cities where faster broadband speeds are unavailable.

CTO Mike Irizarry stated the C-Band and 3.45GHz deployments were part of UScellular’s multi-year 5G plan.

The operator spent $1.5 billion for 254 licences in a C-Band auction concluded in 2021.

UScellular launched a mmWave-based 5G FWA internet service in parts of ten cities in April.