Ericsson has announced a landmark collaboration with NRTC, Southern Linc, and Anterix to deliver cutting-edge private network solutions to electric cooperatives (co-ops) of all sizes and service terrains across the United States – this strategic partnership aims to provide reliable, resilient, and secure network infrastructure, empowering co-ops to meet the challenges of modernizing the grid infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery to communities nationwide.

“Our collaboration with NRTC, Anterix, and Southern Linc underscores Ericsson’s dedication to advancing secure and resilient communications infrastructure for co-ops across North America,” said Eric Boudriau, Vice President and Head of Customer Unit Regional Customers, Ericsson North America. “We are proud to contribute our solutions to this initiative, ensuring that NRTC members have access to state-of-the-art technology that meets their evolving needs and maximizes their resources.”

NRTC will augment its existing fiber design and construction capabilities with Ericsson’s expertise in cellular and microwave communications technologies, Southern Linc’s core hosting solutions, and Anterix’s 900 MHz spectrum as well as their 115+ member Active Ecosystem, to provide mission-critical smart-grid network solutions designed to meet members’ specific use case, geographic, and deployment requirements. The partnership will also allow NRTC members to construct, own, secure, and physically maintain LTE/5G-ready sites as needed to provide wireless coverage and capacity for legacy system retirement and grid modernization objectives.

“We are thrilled to partner with Ericsson, Southern Linc, and Anterix,” said Joe Walsh, Vice President of Smart Grid Networking at NRTC. “This collaboration closes a critical gap that rural electric cooperatives will face as they modernize their grid infrastructure. Together, we’re forging a path towards unparalleled connectivity, resilience, and security, ensuring that communities across the U.S. have access to the cutting-edge solutions they need to thrive.”

Southern Linc’s core hosting solution brings Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core solution, built on Ericsson’s Cloud Native Infrastructure, to NRTC member cooperatives and will provide the core connectivity for the private Radio Access Network. Combined with Ericsson Router 6000 and MINI-LINK 6000 offerings, this will provide a comprehensive framework for utilities to enhance their network capabilities while maintaining the highest standards of security and reliability. This partnership represents a significant step forward in bolstering the resilience of critical infrastructure and addressing the challenges posed by inclement weather, cybersecurity threats, and aging infrastructure.

“Our mission is to empower electric cooperatives to build a robust and future-proof network infrastructure that can withstand the demands of the modern world,” said Southern Linc Engineering Director Alan McIntyre. “By collaborating with Ericsson and NRTC, we are ensuring that utilities of all sizes have access to the latest private network solutions, enabling them to deliver highly reliable service to their communities.”

“Our agreement with NRTC, and its collaboration with Ericsson and Southern Linc, will provide NRTC’s utility cooperatives with the ability to directly access our 900 MHz spectrum, our 900 MHz platform and solutions, and the Anterix Active Ecosystem members and their offerings,” said Alice Moy-Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development at Anterix. “I believe that this collaboration, when combined with our current seven utility customers deploying in fifteen states, will deliver significant scale and scope benefits to our nation’s electric cooperatives as they develop and deploy private LTE networks.”

Through this collaboration, Ericsson, NRTC, Southern Linc, and Anterix are poised to revolutionize the landscape of co-op communications, setting new standards for reliability, resilience, and security in the digital age, working toward the well-being of communities, and the creation and support of local jobs and communities.