Under the five-year agreement, Ericsson will immediately begin installing EDGE-ready 1900MHz GSM/GPRS radio access equipment from its High Capacity Solution portfolio to complement Cincinnati Bell's existing TDMA networks in Ohio and Kentucky. The cost-effective infrastructure will allow Cincinnati Bell to expand its network -- without adding sites or new frequencies -- as its business needs evolve.

"Ericsson takes great pride in this opportunity to work with Cincinnati Bell to deliver the higher network capacity and the quality of service its subscribers expect," said Angel Ruiz, president and chief executive officer, Ericsson Inc. "By adding an EDGE-ready GSM/GPRS overlay to its existing network, Cincinnati Bell can offer the benefits of voice and data services to its customers while continuing to leverage investments in its established TDMA system."

"Cincinnati Bell's gradual implementation of Ericsson's EDGE network infrastructure is a natural progression in the GSM evolution," said Dennis Hinkel, senior vice president of Network Operations for Cincinnati Bell.  "To help us deliver the high-speed Mobile Internet services we wanted, we chose to work with an industry leader such as Ericsson, as they already provide innovative technology solutions in more than 140 countries."

With GPRS, Cincinnati Bell will be able to offer customers "always on" access to the mobile Internet, messaging, gaming, entertainment, and news. When it launches EDGE, Cincinnati Bell will be able to offer more advanced 3G services, such as streaming audio and video, higher resolution images and more advanced enterprise applications.