Ericsson has teamed up with US telco Sagebrush Cellular to help the provider modernize its communications with 5G services.

Montana-based Sagebrush Cellular is an affiliate of Nemont Telephone Cooperative, and provides voice and broadband communications to residents in rural Montana.

The company claims to be the only source of these services for many residents living in rural parts of the US state.

“Our communities rely on us for mobility and broadband, and we’re always looking for ways to bring enhanced service offerings to our customers,” says Mike Kilgore, CEO at Sagebrush.

To support Sagebrush, Ericsson will upgrade the existing radio access network (RAN) and core equipment that is in place. This equipment includes Ericsson Radio System, Cloud Core, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) with a 5G-capable RAN across 115 sites in Montana and North Dakota.

“Ericsson is committed to supporting communication service providers with the most robust and high-performing network solutions," said Eric Boudriau, Vice President and Head of Customer Unit Regional Carriers, at Ericsson North America.

"We have the people, technology, and experience to move the industry forward – and partnering with communications service providers like Sagebrush allows us to make a real impact."

It's not the first time Ericsson has supported a regional communications provider in the US, with the vendor helping local telco Appalachian Wireless to upgrade its mobile services, ahead of plans to deploy 5G services in Eastern Kentucky.

The vendor has also supported Oklahoma-based Pine Cellular to modernize its existing 3G and 4G equipment to 5G-ready, with the equipment initially Huawei kit, notes Light Reading.