MetroPCS is launching wireless services in the Shreveport-Bossier City area of Louisiana starting next week. The flat-rate, no-contract carrier also said that it expects to fill out the service area along the Interstate 20 corridor to Dallas in the next 120 days. Service in the new territories will be advanced wireless services, or AWS, and handsets sold will be backward-compatible to work with both AWS and PCS spectrums, though MetroPCS customers with PCS handsets will not be able to use the new service.

The company said it expects the new territory will cover about 600,000 people, including those in Louisiana towns of Greenwood, Elm Grove, Princeton and Minden, and will include Texas cities like Kilgore, Tyler and Longview.

When services launch, MetroPCS said it will have nine service centers across the new territory and six sales and distribution centers. Within four months, the carrier expects to have 11 service centers and nine sales and distribution centers.