The RIC is a software-based component in Open RAN (O-RAN) architecture that uses AI and automation to optimize network performance with intelligent applications. It enables operators to flexibly deploy and manage diverse applications for comprehensive monitoring and analysis as well as energy-saving operations, helping them optimize networks, manage resources efficiency and elevate service quality.

This RIC deployment represents the next phase of TELUS and Samsung’s ongoing collaboration to transform Canada’s telecommunications landscape. Following the companies’ announcement of Canada’s first commercial virtualized and O-RAN network in February 2024, the RIC implementation will enable TELUS to harness AI throughout network operations and management – significantly boosting operational efficiency with potential to reduce costs.

“We are excited to broaden our collaboration with Samsung to transform our network and enhance the customer experience using AI,” said Bernard Bureau, Vice President of Wireless Strategy & Services at TELUS. “This partnership aligns closely with our commitment to responsible sovereign AI development and will enable us to provide more personalized, efficient and sustainable services. Importantly, it also allows us to manage and optimize RAN equipment from multiple vendors through a single, unified platform, maintaining the diversity and flexibility that are core principles of O-RAN.”

“AI is ushering in a new era of possibilities and in order to fully realize its potential across industries, the right foundation is critical. At Samsung, we believe vRAN is the best way forward on the path to AI-RAN, built on an end-to-end software-based architecture that provides the optimal foundation for AI. We are actively supporting our customers’ AI journey today with our proven vRAN and AI-powered solutions including RIC,” said Angelo Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “As Canada’s leader in vRAN and Open RAN, TELUS is very well-positioned to lead the way in bringing AI into the networks. Together with TELUS, we are fueling the transition to a more intelligent and autonomous network.”

Samsung’s RIC solution supports both legacy hardware-based and open virtualized networks, allowing TELUS to implement intelligent automation across its entire network infrastructure. This capability allows TELUS to gain immediate benefits while maintaining its accelerated vRAN deployment across Canadian markets.

Samsung’s offerings include the KPI Anomaly Detector (KAD) and RAN Anomaly Insight (RAI) to proactively identify and analyze network issues, Energy Saving Manager (ESM) to perform dynamic traffic prediction and automated orchestration of diverse energy saving features and Load Balancing Manager (LBM) to optimize resource utilization and improve network performance and reliability. Samsung’s O-RAN compliant RIC solution seamlessly supports intelligent applications from Samsung as well as third parties, ensuring TELUS can leverage the best innovations across the industry.

Samsung’s initial delivery of software solutions was completed in July, and will continue throughout 2025. The companies plan to conduct extensive testing across various Canadian markets over the course of this year.

With more than 30 years of innovation in Canada, Samsung continues to be part of the country’s progress toward advancing technology and helping its people stay connected. Samsung has also been actively involved in advancing AI in the region, with the establishment of its AI Centre Toronto (AIC-Toronto) in 2018. The AIC-Toronto is part of the company’s efforts to maximize its expertise and leadership in the global AI landscape, bringing new capabilities to consumers and businesses.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a world-leading communications technology company operating in more than 45 countries and generating over $20 billion in annual revenue with more than 20 million customer connections through our advanced suite of broadband services for consumers, businesses and the public sector. We are committed to leveraging our technology to enable remarkable human outcomes. TELUS is passionate about putting our customers and communities first, leading the way globally in client service excellence and social capitalism. Our TELUS Health business is enhancing 157 million lives across 200 countries and territories through innovative preventive medicine and well-being technologies. Our TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods business utilizes digital technologies and data insights to optimize the connection between producers and consumers. Guided by our enduring ‘give where we live’ philosophy, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $1.8 billion in cash, in-kind contributions, time and programs including 2.4 million days of service since 2000, earning us the distinction of the world’s most giving company.  

We’re always building Canada.  

For more information, visit telus.com or follow @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram. 

Samsung Networks and TELUS today announced the successful deployment of Canada’s first next-generation Mission Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) services. Deployed over TELUS’ globally recognized network, this new MCPTX solution will equip Canada’s first responders with the information and data they need to more accurately assess emergency situations, improve responsiveness and operational efficiency, and drive better public safety outcomes. This state-of-the-art technology will enhance multimedia communications with vital operational features such as video, geographic information system (GIS), geo-fencing, remote database access, and more, keeping communities safer.

“TELUS is building on its long-standing association with Samsung to bring best-in-class technologies and connectivity that will help public safety organizations manage emergency situations with greater responsiveness thanks to mission critical features that go well beyond legacy voice technologies,” said Marshall Berkin, Vice-president, Industry Solutions, TELUS Business Solutions. “Our MCPTX services will leverage the strength of our award-winning network, as well as our integrated ecosystem of public safety solutions, to empower first responders with critical, reliable, and secure connectivity that will ultimately save lives. This launch also accelerates our commitment to Smart City solutions that help municipalities use technology and data in new ways to benefit residents’ health and safety, meet sustainability goals, and increase operational efficiencies.”

TELUS’ MCPTX service will be offered with priority access to commercial users on TELUS’ network. The service is actively being trialed with a select group of customers with wider commercial availability planned for later in 2022. With mobile broadband technologies powered by 4G and 5G, the nature of mission critical communications is undergoing a significant evolution, as MCPTX solutions provide a significant enhancement to today’s commonly used LMR (Land Mobile Radio) and push-to-talk (PTT) voice technologies.

“Samsung has proven deployment experience with end-to-end solutions – from network infrastructure to devices, to lead the industry in this space,” said Stephen Wiktorski, Vice President and Head of Networks, Samsung Canada. “We’re pleased to collaborate with TELUS to help solve Canadian first responders’ critical communications challenges, and look forward to future opportunities to integrate MCPTX capabilities within private networks, next-generation 9-1-1 (NG911) and smart cities.”

Improving public safety outcomes with mission critical communications

MCPTX technology will enhance communication in many public safety scenarios. For example:

• First responders – With MCPTX technologies, first responders, like police officers, can gain knowledge and expertise from their peers in different locations or other public safety agencies. They can all communicate with each other in real-time in order to quickly resolve a public emergency. That could mean enabling video to be pushed immediately to dispatch a coordinated response or sharing a map of the officer’s location with other first responders on the ground.
• Catastrophic events – In the event of a catastrophic situation, cellular usage drastically increases and the network gets congested with many people trying to reach their loved ones. With quality of service, priority and preemption (QPP), first responders have priority access to the broadband network with a reliable and secure connection.
• Connected Ambulance – A connected ambulance will help save more lives, as paramedics can share critical information using a portable ultrasound or a haptic glove over a prioritized connection, helping emergency room doctors to start treatment remotely, and emergency rooms preparation to be optimized for patient arrival.
• Traffic Control for emergency services – With MCPTX, traffic route maps for emergency vehicles could be transmitted to all intersections and traffic lights, clearing the way for an emergency vehicle to quickly reach its destination, with “green lights” all along the route.

Samsung continues to lead the advancement of next generation public safety networks and has a proven track record of successful MCPTX deployments. Samsung network technology with LMR interoperability is a proven solution deployed by FirstNet^[1], as the first-ever, nationwide mission-critical standards-based PTT solution in the U.S.^[2] Also, in Korea, Samsung teamed up with leading Korean operators to launch the country’s PS-LTE network in 700MHz, which was the world’s first 3GPP-compliant nationwide public safety network with MCPTT service.[3] Since 2021, this PS-LTE network has been offering fast and reliable connectivity to first responders in hundreds of organizations and agencies, including police, firefighters, emergency medical services, and the military.

To learn more about how Samsung and TELUS are solving critical communication challenges with MCPTX solutions, the companies have released a new whitepaper on public safety.

For more information on Samsung’s network solutions and capabilities, visit www.samsung.com/global/business/networks.

For more information on how TELUS supports first responders, visit telus.com/en/business/v2/medium-large/mobility/public-safety

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^[1] FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

^[2] https://about.att.com/innovationblog/2021/fn_mission_ready.html

^[3] https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-powers-worlds-first-3gpp-compliant-nationwide-public-safety-network-with-mcptt-service-in-korea

With a commitment to delivering communications and technological innovations that foster social-purpose, economic growth and job creation goals in Canada, TELUS embarked on a journey to deploy its next-generation 5G network. TELUS is building new infrastructure and providing innovative services that, among other benefits, can increase access to healthcare for Canadians and improve healthcare providers’ efficiencies. At the same time, the company is expanding its agriculture technology services to help solve the challenges of feeding the world’s population. 

TELUS is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company that is creating new services that improve businesses of all sizes – from global enterprises to smart cities to home-based service providers. The company is building its 5G network to empower Canada, using innovative solutions that will connect people and businesses with their passions.

TELUS selected Samsung to support the development of its 5G network, which will help it continue offering its customers the fastest average download speeds in the world[1]. While speed is important, TELUS and Samsung expect the new 5G network to be the foundation that supports and powers next-generation solutions that allow TELUS to intensify its focus on social purpose, the center of TELUS’ mission.

Improving Access to Healthcare for Canadians with 5G

The year 2020 brought the importance of ubiquitous high-speed connectivity to the forefront, with a focus on people’s health and wellness. TELUS — already a key player in many aspects of digital health — are well-positioned to leverage the increase in reliable bandwidth and speed provided by its 5G network, to the benefit of Canadians.

“TELUS expects these new networks will provide better, faster, more reliable connectivity that will optimize medical office workflow systems,” says Eros Spadotto, Executive Vice-president of Technology Strategy and Business Transformation. 

5G’s reliable, low-latency connectivity helps ensure that applications like electronic medical records (EMR) and robust digital healthcare solutions raise the productivity of physicians, hospitals, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals that improve the patient outcomes.  The 5G network also powers the connectivity that enables safe remote telehealth visits that require high-quality voice and video communications between patients and medical providers. Samsung’s 5G equipment will help TELUS continue bridging the digital divide to connect top-quality healthcare services across Canada.

Deploying 5G Networks will Help Harvest Better Food Outcomes

In addition to improving healthcare, feeding the world is one of the largest challenges of our generation and it has become core to TELUS’ social purpose mission. The company has set its sights on increasing the volume of crops picked and improving the entire agriculture supply chain to drive better food production utilization. With 5G-powered connectivity, IoT sensors can span the agriculture ecosystem – from seed producers on the front end to grocers delivering the produce to those who are hungry. IoT data allows advanced systems to examine this information along with the millions of “acres” of additional data to identify actionable trends that can derive better results.

With Samsung’s 5G technology and partner solutions, TELUS expects to improve coverage for farmers and bridge the digital divide. 

“While it is important to build network connectivity that allows farmers to improve business operations, it’s also essential to analyze their production results to identify trends that can help the industry optimize the supply chain and prevent waste. We are entering into an ‘insights economy’, and 5G and AI are enabling it,” Spadotto said.

Creating Smart Cities with 5G

Support for IoT in 5G, which can support up to 1 million devices per square kilometer, also offers new opportunities to efficiently expand IoT solutions, like those used in smart cities. Coupling the high volume of reliably connected devices to edge-based applications enabled by 5G helps TELUS extend the efficiency of smart city solutions. Moreover, incorporating 5G capabilities like network slicing and multi-access edge computing can establish private wireless networks to support the low-latency connectivity needed for real-time services like video-based security and surveillance.

Samsung innovation that intrigued TELUS went beyond 5G devices, RAN, and Core. AI-powered metrics and unique push-to-talk applications further differentiated the Samsung end-to-end solution to support smart city services. 

Mr. Spadotto stated, “We are excited with Samsung, as we see them partnering with us to create new applications that can extend our smart city construct, like Mission Critical PTX.”

Samsung is Right for TELUS

To ensure it will have the network that supports these high expectations, TELUS went through an in-depth evaluation of its 5G options. With its goal to be the best provider, TELUS knows that the network must be reliable and provide top performance. The company’s evaluation process showed that Samsung met necessary requirements to serve as its vendor of choice. 

“TELUS saw Samsung demonstrate the same important attributes that we deliver to our customers: honesty, commitment to excellence, and innovation,” offered Mr. Spadotto. 

The full range of Samsung 5G products plays a crucial role in TELUS’s 5G services, including a wide range of user devices, 5G network equipment, and an AI platform to analyze operations data. AI is a critical component of 5G for TELUS, and Zhilabs, a Samsung company, provides TELUS with a compelling AI platform that will help them derive clear understandings of network performance. Using AI-derived operational insights, TELUS has the power and flexibility to optimize its network while innovating new solutions. Samsung is proud to collaborate with TELUS to provide 5G capabilities that will support its focus on improving lives worldwide, and the partnership is set to fuel innovations that will be sought worldwide.

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[1] https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2020/09/global-state-of-the-mobile-network-experience-awards

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced they have been selected as the 5G networks infrastructure supplier for TELUS (NYSE:TU), a world-leading telecommunications service provider in Canada. 

Samsung is rapidly expanding its customer pool, signing four new 5G contracts in the last seven months including operators in Canada, US and New Zealand. Deploying a 5G network for TELUS exhibits Samsung’s ongoing global commitment to advancing a new era in 5G expansion. With this latest agreement, Samsung will play a large part in helping TELUS build out its nationwide 5G network, laying groundwork for Samsung’s presence as one of the primary telecom vendors in Canada. 

“We are pleased to select Samsung as a 5G vendor for our mobile services, leveraging the enhanced network capability, exceptional connectivity and state of the art technology inherent in their 5G solutions,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. “This development in our 5G ecosystem is a testament to our team’s innovation, skill and grit in building a world-leading 5G experience for Canadians from coast to coast, and from urban to rural.”

“We are excited to have earned TELUS’ trust to roll out next generation 5G services together, leveraging our successful experiences in commercializing 5G across multiple leading markets,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “As a longstanding innovator in the 5G space, Samsung is looking forward to supporting TELUS, and in playing a key role in expanding new 5G horizons in Canada with unparalleled 5G network solutions.”

TELUS is a world-leading communications and IT company with customer connections spanning data, IP, voice, television, entertainment video and security. Since 2000, TELUS has invested nearly $200 billion in wireless and fibre optic network infrastructure, spectrum and operations to enhance the coverage, speed, and reliability of its networks to connect customers across one of the most vast, geographically challenging landscapes and diverse populations in the world. Its 4G LTE network has been recognized as one of the fastest in the world, heralded for top network speeds, resiliency, and latency by third parties including Open Signal, Tutela, J.D. Power, Ookla, and PCMag.