Ericsson chosen as sole supplier of Claro's LTE network in Costa Rica

• Ericsson to provide core, microwave transmission and radio access, as well as consulting and services including refarming, roll-out, integration, optimization, field operations and maintenance
• Commercial offer initially available to pre-paid subscribers in some Costa Rican cities and provinces, such La Uruca, Santa Ana, Escazú (San José), Alajuela and Heredia

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has been selected by Claro as the sole supplier of the operator's LTE network in Costa Rica. Ericsson's full LTE solution will include several core and radio access infrastructure products such as Mobility Management Entity, Home Subscriber Server, the RBS 6000 family, and microwave transmission using the LTE-proven MINI-LINK TN, as well as services and consulting for spectrum refarming, equipment roll-out, systems integration and optimization, in addition to support for field operations, maintenance and the back office.

Claro has launched the LTE network, which uses the 1800 MHz band, as a value added service. Getting connected will require customers to have an existing 3G plan, a smartphone or tablet with LTE capability and USIM. The América Móvil subsidiary is offering LTE internet access in some Costa Rican cantons such as La Uruca, Santa Ana, Escazú (San José) and partially in Heredia and Alajuela provinces.

Victor Garcia, Regulation Manager, Claro Costa Rica, said: "Ericsson has been a preferred business partner for several years in Latin America, and Costa Rica is no exception. We are pushing forward into this next evolutionary step to expand our network capabilities and offer the best service quality for our customers. Ericsson's technology and know-how has played an integral role in enabling these new 4G/LTE services and delivery."

Alejandro Plater, Vice President Ericsson Latin America, said: "We have been working in partnership with América Móvil for more than 15 years, and we have a very good relationship with Claro since their arrival in Costa Rica three years ago. Enabling a full LTE network infrastructure and operations signifies a new step in our partnership, creating the best services and capabilities for our customer's end users."

Claro Costa Rica is the first operator to introduce LTE network services in Central America within AMX group, as well as the first operator in Costa Rica to launch LTE as a value added service for the local market in post-paid plans.

Ericsson is the market leader in LTE worldwide, and in the Latin America region. More than 50 percent of the world's LTE smartphone traffic is served by Ericsson networks, which is more than double the traffic of our closest competitor. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada; has been selected by the top 10 LTE operators, as ranked by LTE subscriptions worldwide; and was named a Leader in the LTE industry by analyst firm Gartner in its 2014 Magic Quadrant report.