Early movement on millimeter wave a component of 5G wins

Samsung is confirmed as a primary vendor for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint’s 5G deployment plans, and the Korean vendor also engaged with T-Mobile US on testing 5G equipment. With Samsung emerging as a major player for 5G carrier deals, RCR Wireless News spoke with two company executives to better understand what led to this wave of wins.

Derek Johnston, Samsung Electronics America’s head of networks marketing, said the company has had a long-term relationship with Sprint and has been supplying small cells to Verizon but, “That was the extent of it for some years. With the advent of 5G, it gave us a window of opportunity. We had taken an early bet on millimeter wave and put a lot of R&D resources into the belief that that spectrum was extremely valuable and, with the right use of technology, could be really leveraged.”

High-band, millimeter wave spectrum is a key part of Verizon and AT&T’s 5G launch plans. This year Verizon launched its 5G Home fixed wireless access service in four U.S. markets. The initial launch is based on the carrier’s Verizon Technical Forum standard, but will be upgraded to non-standalone 5G NR equipment as the company also works on mobile 5G in 2019. AT&T plans to deploy standards-based mobile 5G in a dozen markets by year-end followed by broader deployment next year.