Ericsson to supply EPC upgrade for SoftBank’s Cat-M1 and NB-IoT network

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Ericsson has been selected by SoftBank as the Evolved Packet Core supplier for its nationwide Cat-M1 and NB-IoT network services rollout.

Ericsson will delivers Cat-M1 support as a software upgrade to SoftBank’s existing EPC, and NB-IoT using Ericsson’s virtual EPC and Cloud Execution Environment.

Cat-M1 and NB-IoT-enabled IoT devices allow SoftBank to cost effectively extend its network while creating new revenue streams for IoT services. Combined with existing LTE coverage, SoftBank can deploy a range of IoT services in smart cities, logistics, utilities, medicine, transport, mining, agriculture, manufacturing and more.

“Ericsson’s solutions in Cat-M1 and NB-IoT technology ensure that we will be able to go to market with highly competitive commercial cellular IoT services and play a role in leading the growth of the IoT market in Japan,” said Junichi Miyakawa, executive VP and CTO of SoftBank.

Mikael Eriksson, head of Ericsson Japan, said: “With the expected rapidly increasing IoT devices and the new ecosystem, there will be many opportunities for new services and revenue streams for operators.”

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