Samsung Canada today announced that SaskTel has begun rolling out Samsung’s Cloud-native 4G and 5G Core on the network, marking another exciting milestone in the evolution of wireless connectivity in Saskatchewan. As part of SaskTel’s continued 5G expansion across the province, Samsung’s Core will enable high speeds and low latency, providing an ultra-responsive and enhanced 4G and 5G user experience across voice, data and text services.

Samsung’s Core is a virtualized solution that transforms the traditional telecom core into a cloud-native, flexible and scalable software platform. Built on a containerized and service-based architecture, it delivers boosted agility, flexibility and efficiency in utilizing network resources. The solution also enables enhanced automation, from deployment to scaling and lifecycle management of network functions, helping operators like SaskTel to quickly launch new services and upgrade to meet business needs.

“We at SaskTel are proud to launch Samsung’s Core on our network, which will serve as a transformative step toward accelerating innovation and enhancing the everyday wireless experience for our customers,” said Charlene Gavel, SaskTel President and CEO. “From developments in AI, to smart agriculture and virtual healthcare, to immersive gaming and IoT, this technology lays the foundation for a future where connectivity empowers people, organizations and communities to reach their full potential.”

The implementation of Samsung’s Core, in combination with the deployment of SaskTel’s 3800 MHz and 3500 MHz wireless spectrum, will deliver improved speeds across the network. These performance gains will be further augmented following SaskTel’s deployment of Samsung’s 5G Standalone (SA) Core solution for the next phase of its network modernization.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the deployment of Samsung’s Cloud-native 4G and 5G Core in SaskTel’s commercial network, as we continue to deliver cutting-edge technology to the Canadian market,” said Stephen Wiktorski, Vice President and Head of Networks at Samsung Canada. “As we push the boundaries of innovation globally, Samsung remains committed to providing our customers with advanced solutions that drive connectivity and growth in an increasingly digital world.”

The launch of Samsung’s Core complements SaskTel’s broader 5G rollout, which now covers nearly 90% of the provincial population. As the network matures, customers can expect even faster speeds, lower latency, and enhanced support for smart devices, connected homes, and emerging technologies.

Since its 5G network launched in 2021, SaskTel has been working with Samsung to deploy an end-to-end 5G solution, which can support remote work, virtual health and distance education, and enable SaskTel’s customers to realize the full capabilities of the latest 5G devices.

Samsung Networks has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios and cores. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio, from purpose-built RAN, virtualized RAN, Open RAN, AI-RAN, core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools and applications. The company currently provides innovative network solutions to mobile operators that deliver boundless connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

About SaskTel
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with approximately $1.3 billion in annual revenue and nearly 1.4 million customer connections including more than 680,000 wireless accesses, 228,000 wireline network accesses, 293,000 internet and data accesses, 107,000 maxTV service subscribers, and 68,000 security monitoring customers. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries offer a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 3,200 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that the company has successfully completed the  first end-to-end Reduced Capability (RedCap) trial over a private 5G network with Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor), a global leader in smart mobility solutions. This trial highlights the potential of next-generation industrial private 5G connectivity, and will be showcased at the Samsung booth during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025.

The achievement of this RedCap end-to-end testing follows Samsung’s successful deployment of the private 5G network in Hyundai Motor’s major manufacturing facility last October. The companies have been working together to transform Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan Plant ― the world’s largest automobile plant, which produces an average of 6,000, vehicles per day ― as a part of their smart factory innovation.

With Samsung, Hyundai Motor has launched an advanced private 5G network to connect and efficiently manage numerous devices and manufacturing systems across its plant, ensuring real-time data upload and download. A high-performance network with reliable connectivity is crucial for automotive manufacturers to control and optimize smart factory automation systems, as well as operate their manufacturing systems and Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs,) which deliver parts to the designated production lines.

Photo description: The companies have completed end-to-end RedCap test with Samsung’s private 5G solutions and Hyundai Motor’s Diagnostic SCAN (D Scan) equipment for vehicle inspection

The First End-to-End RedCap Trial on a Samsung-Powered Private 5G Network

As of January, the companies have carried out end-to-end RedCap technology tests at Samsung’s private 5G network testbed, located at its R&D Center. It was aimed to verify RedCap capabilities and integrated performance across the whole network from the vehicle inspection terminal to private 5G core, radios and the management system. For this trial, Samsung used its RedCap-powered private 5G network solutions including its virtualized 5G Core, baseband units, radios supporting 4.7GHz band, and an integrated Network Management System.

The trial also focused on integrating Hyundai Motor’s Diagnostic Scan (D Scan) featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon® X35 5G Modem-RF System into Samsung’s private 5G network. This device was developed by Hyundai Motor to be used at its smart factories via wireless communications between vehicles and D Scan to automatically inspect and efficiently determine whether vehicles have been assembled correctly before releasing finished cars. Compared to the old Wi-Fi system, the companies achieved a more seamless, real-time inspection data transmission with high speed and 5G connectivity.

This successful collaboration is another milestone Samsung and Hyundai Motor are marking, as Hyundai Motor plans to expand RedCap private 5G networks to its newest electric vehicle manufacturing facilities, which are expectedto begin their operation in the first half of 2026.

At its smart factories, a range of small devices are in operation ― sensors, cameras, tablet PCs, automatic logistics robots, compact wireless tools and testing equipment ― which make RedCap on a private 5G network a key driver for efficient and intelligent network automation and monitoring.

With RedCap, the hope is that there will eventually be iwidespread adoption of private 5G networks at manufacturing facilities, construction sites, academic campuses and more. This technology streamlines 5G connectivity for small-size 5G IoT (IoST) devices such as industrial sensors and wearables by lowering complexity without compromising data speeds.

“The recent collaboration with Hyundai Motor represents how the two leaders in their respective industries can creatively drive business innovation and unlock new real use cases by merging best-in-class expertise,” said Simon Lee, Vice President and Head of B2B·B2G Business Development, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s RedCap-powered private 5G network solutions will open up more possibilities for enterprises, manufacturers and public institutions, serving as a gateway to driving more efficient 5G networks.”

“Hyundai Motor was the first Korean company to implement P-5G in mass production,” said Jae Min Lee, Vice President and Head of E-FOREST Center of Hyundai Motor and Kia. “We are also the industry’s first to verify P-5G RedCap technology, reinforcing our global leadership in smart manufacturing solutions. We will continue to accelerate its commercialization.”

“The adoption of RedCap technology will empower private 5G networks to be more efficient and cost-effective, by allowing for devices with smaller form factors, longer battery life and reduced power consumption.” said Pablo Tomasi, Principal Analyst, Private Networks at Omdia. “Thanks to RedCap, private 5G networks will support an increasingly large set of use cases.”

Samsung continues to actively deliver private 5G networks across a range of verticals, including smart factories, hospitals, universities and construction sites, on top of military facilities and local government agencies. With a proven record in commercial deployments, Samsung provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution backed by well-established R&D leadership.

Also at MWC 2025, Samsung will unveil its innovative next-generation private 5G network, which leverages the company’s virtualization leadership. Supporting current compact and light hardware-based solutions, Samsung will introduce software-centric private 5G solutions – including vRAN software and other software applications on commercial servers (COTS).

Samsung has engineered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios and cores. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio, from vRAN 3.0, Open RAN, core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools and applications. The company currently provides innovative network solutions to mobile operators and enterprises that deliver boundless connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

Marking the company’s first major mission-critical solution deployment in Europe, Samsung partners with IBM to elevate mission-critical communications systems in Great Britain

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that the company is teaming up with IBM as the mission-critical (MCX) solution provider to the UK’s Home Office, for a User Services deployment as part of the Emergency Services Network (ESN). This selection marks Samsung’s first major mission-critical project in the U.K., reinforcing the company’s continued growth in the region and expanding on its successful multi-generation commercial networks business using virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN technologies.

This milestone underscores Samsung’s commitment to advancing mission-critical networks globally, supporting government agencies to keep communities safe. Designed to prioritize network access for first responders in emergencies, ESN will deliver reliable and seamless connectivity to over 300,000 first responders in the U.K.

Alongside IBM and other industry-leading partners, Samsung will support the core mission-critical communications systems with its innovative MCX solution, which is backed by Samsung’s deep expertise honed from successful nationwide public safety network deployments in the U.S. and Korea. Samsung’s MCX solution will enable intuitive multimedia sharing in real-time, supporting the ability of first responders to assess and respond to emergency situations.

“As mission-critical communications are of the utmost importance for the nation’s security and protection of its citizens, Samsung is proud to take part in this program to evolve public safety networks in the U.K.,” said Everth Flores, Vice President and Head of Samsung Networks Europe. “At the heart of this collaboration lies Samsung’s undisputed technological competence, on top of the solid trust that we have garnered with our successful mission-critical solution deployments around the globe. Harnessing the momentum of this milestone, Samsung will continue to contribute to building a more secure, connected society.”

“We are proud to support the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in delivering a secure and resilient communications platform to empower frontline emergency services,” said Rahul Kalia, Managing Partner at IBM UK and Ireland. “Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain. We look forward to working with the Government to deliver this in a timely and cost-effective manner.”

With its full suite of mission-critical solutions, Samsung has accumulated its expertise in the public safety sector globally by working together with leading operators and government stakeholders on successful MCX deployments, starting with building the world’s first 3GPP standard-compliant nationwide public safety network in South Korea. The company also worked with one of the largest national operators in the U.S. to bring America’s first-ever nationwide MCX solution. More recently in Canada, Samsung teamed up with Tier 1 operator to deploy the country’s first MCTPX solution in 2022.

Samsung is responsible for the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios and cores. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its leading product portfolio, from vRAN 3.0, Open RAN, core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company currently provides innovative network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

Matt Smith / CP Images

Today, SaskTel, Samsung Canada, and Innovation Saskatchewan announced the launch of Saskatchewan’s first-ever 5G Innovation Labs. Named the SaskTel 5G Innovation Lab – powered by Samsung, these new labs are purposefully designed and equipped to provide local businesses, university students, researchers, and other innovators with the tools and facilities needed to unlock the full potential of 5G technology and develop innovative solutions that will shape the future of communication and connectivity across Saskatchewan.

‘There are significant economic opportunities and social benefits that advanced communications networks and technologies can deliver to people in communities across our Province,” said Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan. “These labs are a critical resource for local innovators, providing them with the means to fully leverage advanced wireless technologies and develop innovative solutions. Access to the latest high quality 5G services will play an important role in connecting our province and accelerating Saskatchewan’s economic growth.”

“Today’s announcement marks another positive step forward for connectivity and innovation in our province,” said Dustin Duncan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “These labs will accelerate the development of wireless innovations that will support job creation and economic growth, and help Saskatchewan people benefit from the many opportunities that come from the deployment of 5G technology.”

The 5G Innovation Labs are located at the Collider co-working spaces in Saskatoon and Regina, part of the Innovation Place research and technology parks. In close proximity to the province’s largest post-secondary institutions, a world-class research community and growing technology companies, the parks provide a ready-made gathering place for the labs’ users.

The unique space and flexible accommodation of the Collider co-working spaces will also provide a seamless integrated experience for short and long-term use.

“Innovation Saskatchewan is proud to be home to the 5G Innovation Labs,” said Kari Harvey, CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan “This collaboration between industry and government shows the province’s commitment to ensuring the competitiveness of our tech sector and expanding opportunities through our evolving innovation corridor.”

5G Labs have become crucial for companies in Canada because they open vast amounts of data transfer, creating networks that are more secure, clean and faster than previous technologies for companies to test products and conduct research. This will especially benefit the province’s core industries like agriculture, mining and health care as well as Internet of Things (IoT) companies that rely on the advantages of a 5G network.

Matt Smith/CP Images.

“We live in a wireless world where everything from business to government, education to healthcare, financial transactions to social interactions are reliant on the wireless networks and technologies that connect us to people and resources all over the world,” said Charlene Gavel, SaskTel President and CEO. “I want to thank both Samsung and Innovation Saskatchewan for partnering with us to bring these labs from concept to reality and we’re excited to launch the labs so that we can start pushing the boundaries of 5G technology to create a more connected future for our province.”

Initially launched in late 2021, SaskTel’s 5G network consists of more than 520 cell sites and covers nearly 85% of the provincial population. Already able to deliver hyper-fast data speeds, SaskTel’s 5G network will continue to evolve to meet the needs of customers and support the emergence of new wireless technologies.

“We are only just beginning to see the incredible possibilities 5G will enable for Canadian industries, and with these new Innovation Labs we are marking a critical next step in bringing these capabilities to life,” said Stephen Wiktorski, Vice President and Head of Networks, Samsung Canada. “Together with SaskTel and Innovation Saskatchewan, we are proud to realize a new era of innovation in Saskatchewan.”

As the primary and trusted wireless solutions provider to SaskTel, Samsung is providing the latest 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core solutions to help foster an environment for innovation. Built on an advanced 5G RAN architecture, the ultra-low latency and high bandwidth capabilities of 5G will empower innovators to explore and create solutions across various industries from mining to agriculture to smart cities. Samsung’s technology will be the catalyst for the advancement of use cases for wireless private networks and the Innovation Labs will provide the necessary environment for innovators to realize their solutions. Samsung’s industry leading designs and expertise in deployment will provide the assistance needed to get the Innovation Labs up and running.

Matt Smith / CP Images’

To learn more or book space at the SaskTel 5G Innovation Labs – powered by Samsung, please visit www.sasktel.com/5Ginnovationlab

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today unveiled the Galaxy A35 5G a smartphone that demonstrates Samsung’s ongoing commitment to making mobile innovations available to everyone. The device comes with extensive security features such as Knox Vault, as well as new photography capabilities inspired by Galaxy’s flagship camera innovations and a stunning display that adjusts to users’ surroundings with Vision Booster.

“With the Galaxy A series, we are expanding our latest technologies to a wider audience so that more people can benefit from them,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to open up even more possibilities on the Galaxy A series this year, including offering Samsung Knox Vault for the first time on this lineup. We’re proud to enable Galaxy A series users to safely and reliably enjoy outstanding mobile experiences.”

An Entertainment and Creativity Hub with Versatile Photography and Stunning Display

With enhanced Nightography, Galaxy A35 5G takes clear and vibrant photos even in low lighting conditions. That means your nighttime photos can reach epic new levels. Galaxy A35 5G’s advanced AI Image Signal Processing (ISP) produces stunning low-light images. It’s not just scenery that looks amazing. Night Portrait mode and 12-bit HDR video make your images look great so that capturing memories with friends and family is  not dependent on the perfect lighting.

Galaxy A35 5G offers the incredible photography capabilities that Samsung Galaxy is renowned for, including features such as optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS) that keep photos and videos crisp even when filming on the go.

The new device also continues the Galaxy A series’ tradition of making fun and immersive mobile experiences accessible. Users can enjoy watching the latest shows or browsing social media with Super AMOLED displays, showing astonishing clarity in Full High Definition. They can also count on the 6.6-inch[1] screen on the Galaxy A35 5G looking clear and bright in a range of light conditions thanks to Vision Booster.

Democratizing Samsung’s Most Powerful Security Innovations

The Galaxy A35 5G brings one of Samsung’s most innovative security features from flagship Galaxy devices to the Galaxy A series users for the very first time: Samsung Knox Vault. A hardware-based and tamper-resistant security solution, Samsung Knox Vault offers comprehensive protection against both hardware and software attacks by constructing a secure execution environment that is physically isolated from the system’s main processor and memory. It can help protect the most critical data on a device, including lock screen credentials, such as PIN codes, passwords and patterns. Samsung Knox Vault also protects device encryption keys, encrypting users’ private data stored in the device. Only a user who has the correct lock screen credentials can access their data, even if the device is lost or stolen.

The Galaxy A35 5G is also secured by Samsung Knox, Galaxy’s multi-layer security platform. Samsung Knox is designed to safeguard critical information and protect against vulnerabilities with end-to-end secure hardware, real-time threat detection and collaborative protection, taking a holistic approach across the entire Galaxy ecosystem.

New Galaxy A series users will also have access to Galaxy’s Security and Privacy Dashboard, making it easier to see and control what is happening to their data and withdraw any permissions whenever they choose.

The new Galaxy A series smartphone demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to keeping Galaxy devices secure and up-to-date for longer. With the Galaxy A35 5G, users will continue to benefit from up to four generations of Android OS and One UI upgrades and five years of security updates, optimizing the lifecycle of the devices by keeping them equipped with all the latest Galaxy and Android features.

Seamless Connection with the Ever-Expanding Samsung Galaxy Ecosystem

The Galaxy A35 5G is fully compatible with the Galaxy ecosystem giving users a smooth and integrated experience across a range of Galaxy devices. Users can keep up with their fitness goals by connecting Galaxy Watch6 to their Galaxy A series smartphone. And, thanks to Auto Switch, incoming calls will be automatically switched to connected Galaxy Buds FE for enhanced convenience.

To find out more about the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G and other Galaxy smartphones, please visit: Samsung Newsroom, Samsung Mobile Press and Samsung.com.

Specifications

*Specifications may vary by market.

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice.

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[1] Measured diagonally, the screen size is 6.6-inch in the full rectangle and 6.4-inch with accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Juniper Networks^® (NYSE:JNPR) and Wind River^® have collaborated on a virtual cell site router (vCSR) to allow service providers to operate their networks with end-to-end virtualization. This software-based network ensures more flexibility, agility, sustainability and faster time-to-market (TTM) for the introduction of new services.

vCSR is part of a new architecture in which the distributed unit and CSR functions coexist as virtualized network elements on one server. In this joint effort, the companies integrated the Juniper Cloud-Native Router, a fully containerized network element, with the Samsung virtualized DU (vDU) on Wind River Studio Cloud Platform. By running multiple network elements on a single virtualized RAN (vRAN) server, the companies are essentially eliminating the need for physical router hardware typically deployed at a cell site and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for network deployments of 5G and beyond.

Compared to traditional networks, this software-based infrastructure offers a more resilient and intelligent mobile network. This development plays a pivotal role in realizing the potential of vRAN by fostering flexibility and interoperability among different components. By consolidating multiple software network elements on the same server, operators can benefit from the following:

• End-to-end automation with Samsung’s CognitiV Network Operations Suite: The solution supports plug-and-play deployment, management visibility, and massive software upgrades, delivering a more streamlined and efficient deployment and operation process.
• Greater agility and flexibility: Built on Software-Defined Networking principles, the virtualized architecture enables the greater scalability and flexibility needed to meet operators’ various network configurations and service demands.
• Ability to support diverse applications: With software-centric architecture, vCSR can support security applications such as firewalls and intelligently steer data flows.
• Reduced CapEx thanks to simplified deployment with less hardware: There is no need to purchase legacy hardware since it can be combined within the existing server with the vDU and other software platforms. It also frees up additional rack space.
• Reduced OpEx with energy savings: By eliminating the physical CSR hardware through server consolidation, approximately 30% of energy use can be saved.

“Leveraging our expertise in real-world vRAN deployments, Samsung, along with Juniper and Wind River, are paving the way for end-to-end virtualized networks across the world,” said Ji-Yun Seol, Vice President, Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “With this revolutionary approach, we are giving operators the confidence to transform their networks and embrace virtual and open approaches.”

“The compelling objective of vRAN is the flexibility and agility it can bring to operators. Our Cloud-Native Router enables operational simplicity and economic flexibility, while delivering excellent performance. Today’s operators must focus obsessively on the user experiences they are delivering while managing costs, and Juniper’s collaboration with Samsung and Wind River is creating a solution that helps them to amortize 5G investments, build a sustainable infrastructure and create more attractive service offerings,” said Raj Yavatkar, SVP and CTO, Juniper Networks.

“As a leader in the 5G landscape that powers the majority of 5G vRAN/O-RAN deployments with global operators, our Wind River Studio is a purpose-built distributed cloud being used in production, at scale, for vRAN and Open RAN,” said Paul Miller, Chief Technology Officer, Wind River. “In collaboration with Samsung and Juniper, Wind River delivers on the promise of Open RAN, creating a path for substantial TCO reduction and new revenue opportunities for mobile operators.”

This innovative vCSR technology will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress 2024 at the companies’ respective booths: Samsung (Hall 2, 2M20), Juniper Networks (Hall 2, 2D12) and Wind River (Hall 2, 2F25).

Samsung’s vRAN and Open RAN offer a 100% fully virtualized, cloud-native disaggregated vDU and vCU, proven in the large-scale commercial network deployment across the world. Its industry-leading vRAN software—vRAN 3.0—boasts a range of smart and sustainable features optimized to satisfy the forward-looking operators’ needs to build next-generation networks. With its robust ecosystem, Samsung’s virtualized Open RAN brings advanced capabilities that improve performance and increase energy efficiency.

The Juniper Cloud-Native Router takes full advantage of container economics and operational efficiencies, giving service providers the flexibility they need to deploy 5G. The performant, software-based router delivers Juniper’s proven routing technology within the Kubernetes Container Network Interface (CNI) framework. This allows seamless integration with the Samsung vDU on the Wind River Studio platform.

Based on the open source StarlingX project, Wind River Studio provides a fully cloud-native, Kubernetes- and container-based architecture for the development, deployment, operations, and servicing of distributed edge networks at scale. It delivers a foundation to manage a geographically distributed network and simplifies day 1 and day 2 operations by providing a single-pane-of-glass, zero-touch automated solution. Studio addresses service providers’ complex challenge of deploying and managing cloud-native infrastructure for core-to-edge distributed cloud networks to provide traditional RAN performance in a vRAN/Open RAN deployment.

About Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks believes that connectivity is not the same as experiencing a great connection. Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform is built from the ground up across the AIOps layer and our systems to fully harness the power of AI. From real-time fault isolation to proactive anomaly detection and self-driving corrective actions, it provides campus, branch, data center, and WAN operations with next-level predictability, reliability, and security. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with Juniper on X (Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Wind River

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems. For more than four decades, the company has been an innovator and pioneer, powering billions of devices and systems that require the highest levels of security, safety, and reliability. Wind River software and expertise are accelerating digital transformation across industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and telecommunications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio supported by world-class global professional services and support and a broad partner ecosystem. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., TELUS and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced today a trailblazing collaboration that will see TELUS become the first telecommunications provider in North America to evolve the architecture of roaming, enabling greater reliability and faster speeds for customers traveling abroad.

Traditionally, roaming traffic (voice, data, and SMS) is routed through the provider’s home country, resulting in slower speeds for customers. With this revolutionary new approach, TELUS is able to house their network within AWS Regions worldwide, using virtualized roaming gateways. This means that traffic no longer needs to go through Canada, but will be routed directly to the closest AWS Region that houses TELUS’ network, significantly enhancing speed and responsiveness of mobile services. This process, also known as network cloudification, uses Cloud-native Core technology from Samsung on public cloud for mobile data, and ng-voice for voice calls, optimizing performance and ultimately quality.

“This architecture evolution further strengthens TELUS’ commitment to keeping our customers connected to what matters most, ensuring they are able to enjoy the same award-winning experience they have in Canada from anywhere in the world,” said Nazim Benhadid, Chief Technology Officer at TELUS. “Together with AWS, Samsung and ng-voice, we are making roaming more reliable and resilient than ever.”

“We are thrilled to work with TELUS, a company at the forefront of re-inventing the telco customer experience,” said Chivas Nambiar, general manager, telco business unit at AWS. “Alongside our AWS Partners, we are excited about how TELUS is using the cloud to augment their network capabilities to provide consistent and reliable global services for their customers.”

“Samsung’s Cloud-native Core is designed with flexibility and scalability in mind. By ensuring higher stability and reliability, Samsung powers TELUS’ new roaming approach to bring unmatched network performance and customer experiences while traveling,” said Stephen Wiktorski, Vice President and Head of Networks at Samsung Canada. “By working with forward-looking operators like TELUS, we are able to turn never before seen possibilities into reality.”

Virtual roaming gateway trials will begin in Q1 2024, but the possibilities of this collaboration extend far beyond roaming. Leveraging Samsung’s full Cloud-native Core solution on AWS paves the way for further advancements in disaster-recovery and 5G standalone core use cases.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $18 billion in annual revenue and over 18 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and others.

TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental health outcomes covering more than 69 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.6 billion, including 2.2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

TELUS and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today that they will build Canada’s first commercial virtualized and open radio access network (RAN) – an intelligent, next-generation technology that offers enhanced performance, flexibility, energy efficiency and automation. The companies are expanding their collaboration from greenfield (new builds) to brownfield (existing infrastructure) deployments.

Following TELUS’ selection of Samsung as its 5G network vendor in June 2020, this revolutionary approach to infrastructure deployment embodies the essence of collaboration, bringing together manufacturers and providers to create a modular, state-of-the-art wireless network. It is also one of the first truly virtualized Open RAN deployments within a complex, brownfield network environment.

With an Open RAN, TELUS is able to use components from different manufacturers that best meet its needs, while a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) allows the use of software instead of hardware. This provides TELUS with faster access to the latest technologies as they become available, helping enhance customer experiences and fuel network innovation, while increasing opportunities for equipment vendors.

“This is a very exciting milestone for TELUS and the industry overall, as we now have the most flexible way to offer a diversified set of services to Canadians, unlocking new levels of mobile experiences,” said Nazim Benhadid, Senior Vice-President for TELUS Networks. “We are proud to be the first Canadian telecommunications company to integrate this cutting-edge technology, together with Samsung and our other partners.”

“Innovation is not a result, but a continuous process that transforms our daily lives,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “TELUS and Samsung have been spearheading a meaningful transformation in mobile communications and we look forward to continuing to unleash the full benefits of software-centric innovation, by advancing our industry-leading vRAN and Open RAN.”

The companies have extensively tested both the vRAN and Open RAN rollout in select Canadian markets with excellent results, validating the telco-grade performance and reliability of multi-vendor Open RAN technology, powered by Samsung’s vRAN solutions. Commercial deployment will begin in the first half of this year and a large-scale network rollout is expected to begin mid-2024.

For this expanded collaboration, Samsung will deliver its versatile vRAN software and proven Open RAN compliant solutions, including its 64T64R Massive MIMO radios, as well as the support for third-party radio integration. Samsung’s solutions include its latest vRAN 3.0 for 4G and 5G, which features enhanced capabilities for improved energy savings, optimized performance and intelligent automation via Samsung’s Service Management and Orchestration (SMO). Samsung’s AI-based SMO will help TELUS accelerate vRAN rollouts at scale by enabling automated deployment of thousands of network sites simultaneously. It will also provide TELUS with a comprehensive set of capabilities for end-to-end automation for multi-party solutions, enabling easier deployment, operation and optimization of their network.

TELUS’ bold approach to embrace a multi-vendor Open RAN brownfield deployment leverages other ecosystem collaborations as well. Cloud infrastructure will be provided by Wind River, tapping the company’s experience in real-time operating systems and cloud-native, distributed edge platforms. Additionally, Hewlett Packard Enterprise will deliver HPE ProLiant DL110 Gen11 servers featuring 4^th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor with Intel vRAN Boost, that are workload optimized for Open RAN while being open and flexible, providing the foundation for a Distributed Unit (DU).

“vRAN and Open RAN remain at the forefront of network transformation, with Samsung continuing to demonstrate leadership in proving virtualized Open RAN’s ability to deliver high performance and efficiency in commercial 5G networks,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President and Analyst at the Dell’Oro Group. “Introducing vRAN and Open RAN into the Canadian market with TELUS represents another formidable step in the re-shaping of the RAN for long-term advantage.”

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $18 billion in annual revenue and over 18 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and others.

TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental health outcomes covering more than 69 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.6 billion, including 2.2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Vodafone today announced their plans to accelerate 5G Open RAN expansion across Europe, beginning new open network initiatives in Germany and Spain, while enhancing Vodafone’s 5G network in the U.K.

This builds upon the two companies’ initial network collaboration, including Vodafone UK’s successful launch of the first 5G Open RAN site in Bath, U.K. in January 2022, using Samsung’s virtualized RAN (vRAN) solution. Vodafone and Samsung are proving stable performance and capacity in Vodafone UK’s commercial network, exceeding targeted performance level and power savings in its strategic Open RAN sites (also known as its ‘Golden Cluster’), located in Exmouth and Torquay, England.

“As we grow and scale our network, we are excited to jointly drive collaborative Open RAN innovation and continue our ground-breaking work together with Samsung,” said Santiago Tenorio, Director of Network Architecture for Vodafone. “We look forward to continue bringing fundamental improvements to our wide-scale next-generation network, to further accelerate our open network approach for 5G expansion across Europe.”

New Europe 5G Initiatives

Building on their collaborative advancements, the two companies continue to grow their Open RAN footprint in Europe. New developments and projects include:

• In the U.K.: The companies implemented Samsung’s O-RAN compliant Massive MIMO radios in Vodafone UK’s commercial network, efficiently expanding 5G coverage in the U.K. With this, Samsung’s 64T64R Massive MIMO radios are now successfully integrated with 5G vRAN, carrying commercial data traffic. Recently, the companies also completed a data call using Samsung’s vRAN and NEC’s Massive MIMO radio, demonstrating multi-vendor interoperability for Vodafone’s commercial network. This illustrates how Open RAN technology can enable multi-vendor integration of vRAN, not only with single-band radios but also with more complex Massive MIMO radios.

• In Germany: Vodafone will carry out comprehensive pilot projects for Open RAN using Samsung’s 2G/4G vRAN and O-RAN compliant radio solutions. In these commercial pilots announced in October 2022, Vodafone will use Samsung’s mature solutions—proven in large-scale commercial networks—to demonstrate outstanding performance, stability and reliability.

• In Spain: Samsung joined Vodafone’s testbed in Ciudad Real, which was created to benchmark mature RAN providers and compare performance across both traditional and Open RAN. Samsung will deploy its Massive MIMO radios and 4G/5G vRAN in CREATE (Ciudad Real España Advanced Testing Environment) to evaluate and verify their performance in Spain’s urban environment.

“Samsung’s virtualized Open RAN solutions are successfully running in Vodafone’s commercial network in the U.K., delivering performance on par with traditional mobile radio networks, and providing Vodafone with an agile network on which to deploy new services and features,” said Thomas Riedel, Head of Samsung Networks Europe. “Vodafone has been a pioneer in the Open RAN space and they continue to break new grounds. We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Vodafone by extending our capabilities across Europe, and taking vRAN innovation to the next level.”

Continuing to claim deployment milestones, the two companies remain as strong partners in leading 5G Open vRAN innovation. Vodafone and Samsung are collaborating with other Open RAN leaders, to drive acceleration of Open RAN with wider diversity and multi-vendor, open architecture.

The evolution of mobile network technology has changed our lives gradually and dramatically. Such progress has seeped into our everyday lives and changed the way we communicate, spend our free time, and how we work.

Until the year 2010, communication was mostly voice and text-based. Over the past 13 years, we’ve seen consistent technology advancements from 4G to 5G and beyond, and we’re now able to enjoy ultra-high-definition, large-capacity multimedia content, anytime, anywhere.

Mobile network technology has redefined the cultural landscape of connections at all levels—between people to people, business to business and industry to industry.

Software is at the Heart of Mobile Network Evolution, Moving Towards Virtualization

At Samsung, we have been focused on identifying the key technology that will drive mobile network transformation and we think the answer is software.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen once said, “software is eating the world.” Just like this famous phrase, global industries are being “eaten” by software and this dynamic transition is called “virtualization” in the network infrastructure world. Whereas hardware is the foundation for traditional networks, virtualization is all about shifting to software.

Virtualization lets you transform many hardware functions and features into software, allowing various services to run on a single hardware platform. Simply put, it works similar to downloading and regularly updating a range of apps on your smartphone.

vRAN Will Eat Up the Network Infrastructure World

Samsung has been spearheading the shift toward network virtualization and openness. We introduced the first fully virtualized Radio Access Network also known as vRAN. Although vRAN currently accounts for just 3%[1] of the global RAN market, it is a pioneering technology that the industry is watching closely.]

Samsung has been a forerunner in the innovative path to vRAN, proving our outstanding performance and wide-scale commercialization capabilities in the real-world, leading expansion in major 5G markets, including Asia, Europe and North America.

We supported the largest-scale commercial vRAN for the first time in the world with Verizon in 2020, and since then, have been providing stable and reliable 5G services to millions of customers. We also began our collaboration with DISH Wireless and Vodafone Group, actively expanding our vRAN footprint to new markets, including the U.K., Germany and beyond.

With the innovations that we are bringing to virtualization, we are creating the blueprint for next-generation networks. We are not only committed to advancing our technology, but more importantly, onboarding and growing the best software talents, which we believe is a central pillar to our achievements.

Samsung Networks Chipset: Packaging the Essence of Our Innovation and Technological Capabilities

The power of chipsets not only radiates through hardware-based networks, but also in software-centric virtualized architectures. While most functions and features are being turned into software, there are still integral parts of the network that remain as hardware. Therefore, the ability to pack advanced features into a tiny chipset is one of our invaluable asset.

Our competitive advantage stems from our unique combination of expertise in innovative software solutions and our comprehensive portfolio of hardware combined with our 5G network chipsets.

Samsung is the only major network vendor that has the capability to design, develop, and manufacture 4G and 5G network chipsets in-house.

With the rising market demand for higher energy efficiency, as well as support for complex spectrum bands and reduced hardware footprint, there has been a stronger emphasis on chipset technologies.

Compared to previous generations, our latest 5G chipset reduces base station energy consumption by about 40% and antenna size by nearly half compared to previous products, and also includes support for multiple spectrum bands.

With a strong foundation built on over 40 years of experience in network technologies, we have managed to stay ahead of evolving market demands, introducing a compact and lightweight radio with high performance and energy efficiency.

Building a Better Tomorrow with Energy Savings Technology

The true value of innovation is not just about advancing technology, but it’s also about pursuing a better tomorrow. Ranging from software to AI and chipsets, sustainability has always been at the core of our product development strategy. Bringing our sustainability vision to life, we are introducing our newest energy saving features for vRAN at MWC this year.

As legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said, “a good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

As we continue along our exciting journey, Samsung will always think a step ahead, anticipating future needs of our customers. And, as a pioneer in the mobile network industry, Samsung will continue to drive this paradigm shift by jumpstarting the next wave of unforeseen innovation.

[1] Source: Dell’Oro (3Q, 2022)