WiMAX

WiMAX Featured Articles

More WiMAX Community Stories

December 06, 2010

4GWE: Sprint Selects Samsung Mobile as Infrastructure Supplier for Network Vision Program

By Janet Li
TMCnet Contributor

Samsung (News - Alert) Telecommunications America, the mobile phone provider in the U.S., has been chosen by Sprint as a key equipment and services supplier for Network Vision, the next evolution of the Sprint (News - Alert) network. The Network Vision agreement includes plans for Samsung Mobile to deploy multi-mode base stations for Sprint spanning from the Pacific Coast to the Great Lakes including key markets such as San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

The next-generation multi-mode base stations will be deployed to enhance Sprint's usage of its 800 MHz and 1900 MHz spectrum bands and support Clearwire's nationwide build-out of Mobile WiMAX (News - Alert). Samsung Mobile is one of three vendors that signed five-year agreements to deploy the equipment and services.

Sprint reports that the total estimated incremental cost of the Network Vision program over the deployment period is between $4 billion and $5 billion. In addition to the new base stations, the agreement also includes All-IP core network elements, Microwave Backhaul and an extensive suite of services such as network design, deployment, optimization and support.

Samsung Mobile has been working closely with Sprint for the last three years to build-out 4G service compliant with the Mobile WiMAX standard. Since first finalizing a supply agreement in 2007, the two companies have steadily made progress on the extensive project with key milestones including the successful commercial launch of 4G service in 2008 and the launch earlier this summer of the Epic 4G, a member of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone portfolio.

Sprint’s 4G network assets were combined with Clearwire (News - Alert) in a 2008 merger and Samsung Mobile is now one of the lead vendors that has helped Clearwire make Mobile WiMAX available to more than 100 million people in the United States this year.

“The award of Sprint’s Network Vision Program to Samsung is the latest proof point of our companies’ joint commitment and leadership in the continued development of 3G and 4G technologies,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, in a press release. “The multi-mode base stations will provide world-class quality, speed and end-user experiences to Sprint customers across the country.”

Samsung is the global company in delivering 3G and 4G mobile technologies and offers an end-to-end solution including chipsets, infrastructure and mobile devices. Samsung is also leveraging a consumer electronics portfolio that is becoming increasingly more mobility-enabled, including access to CDMA and Mobile WiMAX networks.

Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets, wireless infrastructure and other telecommunications products throughout North America.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global company in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of $116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: visual display, mobile communications, telecommunication systems, digital appliances, IT Solutions, digital imaging, semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs.

In related news, Sprint launched the 4G "Competitive Edge Filmmakers Challenge," a film competition that calls on college students to shoot a short film with a Sprint smartphone." Two winners will receive a trip to Los Angeles to spend a day on a movie set, have lunch with Sprint executives and receive $2,500 to launch their career.


Janet Li is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jaclyn Allard


comments powered by Disqus