While Battlefield 3 will be using dedicated servers, DICE is not apparently going to release an unranked version of the server code that can be used to roll your own servers. Battlefield 3 servers will only be available from DICE’s Ranked Server Providers or RSPs.

It isn’t clear if all servers will be ranked, but you will still be able to get a private Battlefield 3 server from the RSPs for your clan’s use. We suspect that you will be able to get private servers, but they will likely be ranked as well. The decision likely means that there will be no local LAN support, which has been a staple of the Battlefield series.

More information on servers, anti-cheat technology and server administration can be found here.