Ericsson bolstered a deal to provide 5G network equipment to Kansas-based rural operator Nex-Tech Wireless, which said it plans to launch the its 5G service before mid-year.

Ericsson will now provide its 5G evolved packet core (EPC) and radio access network (RAN) equipment for 5G New Radio service in non-standalone mode. Nex-Tech Wireless will also use Ericsson’s Spectrum Sharing technology, the vendor’s version of dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), to enable 5G service across different spectrum bands depending on real-time traffic demands. 

The combination of software and equipment from Ericsson will enable a more seamless transition to 5G for customers, Nex-Tech Wireless CEO Jon Lightle said in a statement. 

Ericsson and Nex-Tech Wireless, which currently provides 4G LTE coverage across most of Kansas, previously inked a deal in September 2019 to deploy 5G on 600 MHz spectrum in some markets. That deal also included the provision of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and WiFi calling services running on Ericsson’s IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology.

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing was made commercially available in late February, and the technology has already been deployed by Swisscom, Telstra, Ooredoo Qatar, Play, and others. The software is compatible with Ericsson equipment dating back to 2015, and the vendor said more than 80% of operators that are testing the technology plan to deploy it before March 2021.

Nokia released its dynamic spectrum sharing software last week and said it expects to begin delivering the technology in volume by July. Nokia’s dynamic spectrum sharing software is compatible with 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network technologies, whereas Ericsson’s offering only supports 4G and 5G.

Operator interest in the technology is strong, but expectations are mixed. Neville Ray, president of technology at T-Mobile US, dismissed the technology as a capacity hog during the operator’s most recent earnings call.