Field trials were jointly carried out on the sites — located in Tamworth and the Peak District, England — since the start of this year. They followed successful lab tests conducted in October 2021, validating the capability and performance of Samsung’s 4G and 5G solutions on Virgin Media O2’s commercial network.

In addition, these field tests demonstrated interoperability between Virgin Media O2’s 2G/3G/4G networks and Samsung’s latest 4G and 5G solutions, and validated use of Samsung’s Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) capabilities, should they be required.

Samsung provided its latest network solutions for trials — including 4G radios, 5G Massive MIMO radios and baseband units. The solutions cover a wide range of Virgin Media O2’s spectrum holdings, from low- to mid-band (800MHz, 2.1GHz and 3.5GHz). Specifically, Samsung delivered its 5G 64T64R Massive MIMO radios for the 3.5GHz spectrum, a major 5G spectrum band for the operator’s network.

Samsung’s 5G 64T64R Massive MIMO radios are commercially deployed on a large scale in global markets, currently providing mobile service to millions of customers. This solution, in combination with Samsung’s baseband unit, will deliver improved coverage and higher data capacity to enhance 5G customer mobile experiences.

The Samsung radio solution used for this trial can also be O-RAN compliant with some configuration changes and additional support, making it ready to leverage the multiple benefits of the new technology in the future.

“Samsung is excited to extend our network collaboration with Virgin Media O2 in the U.K., advancing from lab trials to now delivering 4G and 5G in commercial networks out in the field,” said Francis BJ Chun, President and CEO, Samsung Electronics U.K. “We look forward to playing a major part of the diversification of the network equipment supply chain in the U.K. market.”

“We are pleased to build on our previous collaboration with Samsung, delivering another 5G milestone in our push to developing Open RAN technologies,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2. “We will continue our collaborative efforts with Samsung to explore the possibilities of 5G and push the technology further to deliver superior end-user experiences for our customers.”

Open RAN technology has been at the forefront of Virgin Media O2’s network infrastructure strategy for over two years, with its first trials announced in early 2020.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

Powered by Samsung’s vRAN, KDDI’s 5G network will deliver exceptional performance, enabling KDDI users to experience the full potential of 5G.

“We are delighted to extend our collaboration with Samsung and to become the first operator in Japan to use their 5G vRAN solutions, which are currently delivering superior performance in commercial networks,” said Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Chief Technology Officer of KDDI. “We believe in the power of virtualization, and this collaboration serves as a meaningful catalyst for driving the next phase of 5G innovation, and advancing our networks to offer best-in-class 5G services.”

With its latest 5G vRAN technology, Samsung brings a range of improvements to KDDI’s network. By replacing dedicated baseband hardware with software elements, vRAN offers more deployment flexibility, greater scalability and improved resource efficiency in network operation. With its cloud-native, container-based architecture, Samsung’s vRAN also simplifies end-to-end network management through automation, allowing operators to quickly introduce new services with minimal impact on deployment.

“With commercially-proven performance and reliability, our vRAN is an attractive technology option for operators — from both the deployment and operational perspectives,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to mark another milestone with KDDI, following previous network collaborations that include the commercialization of 5G in 2020, and the rollout of 700MHz 5G in 2021. We look forward to our ongoing work with KDDI to bring new 5G innovations to their customers.”

Virtualized networks will play a key role in supporting KDDI’s pursuit of new 5G use cases and next-generation capabilities. Last year, for instance, Samsung and KDDI demonstrated how 5G end-to-end network slicing could play a key role for mobile operators by enabling the creation of multiple virtual networks within a single physical network infrastructure.

Samsung and KDDI will begin trials in Q1 of 2022, and start commercial deployment in the second half of 2022.

Leading vRAN Innovation

Samsung has been at the forefront of vRAN leadership around the world, unveiling its fully virtualized 5G RAN in 2020, followed by successful commercialization with a Tier 1 operator in the U.S. In June 2021, the company was selected by a major European operator to bring vRAN to the U.K.

Samsung recently demonstrated its vRAN capability to support Massive MIMO radios on mid-band, reaching multi-gigabit speeds. The company also teamed with a Tier 1 U.S. operator to complete an end-to-end 5G vRAN trial over C-Band in a live network environment, demonstrating vRAN performance equal to that of traditional hardware-based equipment.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

“We have been driving the industry to large scale virtualization using the advanced architecture we have built into our network from the core to the far edge. This recent accomplishment paves the way for a more programmable, efficient, and scalable 5G network,” said Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President of Technology Planning at Verizon. “Customers deserve more than mere access to 5G. They deserve 5G built with the highest, gold-standard engineering practices that have positioned Verizon as the most reliable industry leader for years.”

Why Virtualization Is Important for 5G Performance Optimization

The trials, conducted over Verizon’s network (using C-band Special Temporary Authority granted to Verizon by the FCC) in Texas, Connecticut and Massachusetts, used Samsung’s fully virtualized RAN (vRAN) solution built on its own software stack and C-band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio in coordination with Verizon’s virtualized core. The trials achieved speeds commensurate with traditional hardware-based equipment.

Virtualization is critical to delivering the services promised by advanced 5G networks. Key 5G use cases such as massive scale IOT solutions, more robust consumer devices and solutions, AR/VR, remote healthcare, autonomous robotics in manufacturing environments, and ubiquitous smart city solutions, will heavily rely on the programmability of virtualized networks.

Cloud native virtualized architecture leads to greater flexibility, faster delivery of services, greater scalability, and improved cost efficiency in networks, paving the way for wide-scale mobile edge computing and network slicing. This technology enables Verizon to rapidly respond to customers’ varied latency and computing needs. Virtualization will also lower the barrier to entry for new vendors in the ecosystem. New entrants will accelerate innovation, reduce operating costs, and lay the groundwork for flexible network and cloud infrastructure closer to the customer, eventually leading to single digit millisecond latency.

“We’re proud to mark another milestone following our first large-scale commercial 5G vRAN deployment for Verizon, which is currently servicing millions of users. This trial reinforces our commitment to helping operators evolve their advanced 5G networks,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This achievement represents our dedicated efforts in leading the transition to virtualization, and helping Verizon realize greater efficiency, scalability and flexibility. vRAN is a powerful enabler for network transformation, and we aim to continue leading this journey.”

Why Massive MIMO Is Important for 5G Performance Optimization

Massive MIMO is an evolution in antenna arrays that uses a high number of transmitters which enables more possible signal paths between a device and a cell tower. It also reduces interference through beamforming, which directs the beam from the cell site directly to where the customer is resulting in higher and more consistent speeds for customers using apps and uploading and downloading files. This trial used Samsung’s C-band 64T64R Massive MIMO radios that support digital/dynamic beamforming, SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO and dual connectivity and carrier aggregation.

“Incorporating full, cloud-native virtualization, Massive MIMO and beamforming into our network design and deployment will result in so much more than our customers merely seeing a 5G icon on their devices. This is 5G service optimized for peak performance,” said Koeppe.

Today’s milestone follows Samsung’s recent announcement on expanding its vRAN capability to support mid-band Massive MIMO radios—a first for the industry. Samsung’s C-band Massive MIMO radio is part of a complete C-band solutions portfolio.

Verizon on Track To Deliver 5G Over C-band

This virtualization work comes on the heels of other work to speed the expansion of 5G Ultra Wideband service using C-band spectrum including:

• successful trials integrating C-band with mmWave licensed spectrum,
• securing new agreements with Verizon’s tower partners, which provide for process improvements including standardizing and reducing forms and minimizing legal reviews, and…
• installation of C-band equipment.

These combined efforts, along with ongoing lab and field trials to optimize 5G technology on C-band spectrum will allow Verizon to offer expanded mobility and broadband services to millions more consumers and businesses as soon as the spectrum is cleared.

In the first quarter of 2022, Verizon expects to put into service the new 5G C-band spectrum in the initial 46 markets and to provide 5G Ultra Wideband service to 100 million people. Over 2022 and 2023, coverage is expected to increase to more than 175 million people and by 2024 and beyond, when the remaining C-band spectrum is cleared, more than 250 million people are expected to have access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service on C-band spectrum.

About Verizon Communications Inc.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.

The announcement follows the launch of Samsung’s Networks Business in Australia in April 2021, and since then, the company has been exploring the delivery of Samsung’s leading 5G mmWave technologies to the nation.

TPG Telecom, a leading mobile network operator in Australia, operates a number of leading mobile and internet brands in Australia including Vodafone. Recently, TPG Telecom announced its investment of AU$108 million to acquire spectrum in all available license areas in the 26GHz band – tripling its total spectrum holdings. With abundant mmWave spectrum, TPG Telecom will be able to offer high speed data services and immersive use cases for its mobile and home users. TPG Telecom’s extensive fiber assets combined with a network of small cells will enable the deployment of vRAN architecture.

For the trial, Samsung will provide its Compact Macro and vRAN solution. Samsung’s latest 5G Compact Macro brings together a baseband, radio and antenna in a single form-factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of buildings, as well as on utility poles, for the swift build-out of 5G networks. Samsung’s industry-leading commercial vRAN solution is built on the company’s independently developed stack, and runs on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. As a leader in vRAN, Samsung has commercially deployed its vRAN solution in wide scale for global Tier 1 operators’ networks in markets outside of Australia, and recently expanded its capability to support 3.5GHz Massive MIMO radio, which many industry voices had said would be hard to support with vRAN. Moreover, Samsung’s 5G vRAN on mmWave, already commercially deployed in global markets, including Korea, Japan and the U.S, has the capacity to support multi-gigabit speeds, delivering IT technology efficiencies and deployment advantages, while offering transformational 5G mobile experiences.

“We are very pleased to partner with Samsung as part of our new Innovation Lab to drive product and technology innovation by trialing virtualization,” said Iñaki Berroeta, CEO at TPG Telecom. “Deploying mmWave spectrum on our 5G network together with vRAN architecture will allow us to develop exciting 5G use cases for industry verticals and enable the delivery of even faster speeds and greater capacity for our customers.”

“Samsung is excited to begin this trial with TPG Telecom powered by our innovative 5G vRAN solution and latest integrated 26GHz mmWave product, which will be the first in Australia,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through a combination of our powerful 5G solutions and ongoing efforts in 5G development, Samsung looks forward to helping TPG Telecom gain the full benefits of 5G to reshape the value of mobile experiences for users and enterprises.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

About TPG Telecom
TPG Telecom (ASX:TPG) is an Australian telecommunications company which is home to some of Australia’s most-loved brands including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, AAPT, Internode, Lebara and felix.

TPG Telecom owns and operates nationwide mobile and fixed networks that are connecting Australia for the better. These include Australia’s second-largest fixed voice and data network, with more than 27,000 kilometres of metropolitan and inter-capital fibre networks and a leading mobile network comprising more than 5,600 sites and covering over 23 million Australians.

As the second largest telecommunications company listed on the ASX, TPG Telecom has a strong challenger spirit and a commitment to delivering the best services and products to our customers.

For more information, visit https://www.tpgtelecom.com.au/

The business customers can choose KDDI as their network manager, and decide whether to use KDDI’s existing network infrastructure or develop their own 5G network to expand or create their businesses. Through this alliance, the two companies will bring new, accessible choices for businesses in various fields.

“Through our 5G Business Co-creation Alliance, we are pleased to collaborate with Samsung on driving new business opportunities for enterprise customers”, said Akihito Fujii, Executive Officer, General Manager, Service Planning and Development Division Solution Business Sector at KDDI. “With Samsung, KDDI will drive digital transformation, unlocking new value by enhancing user experiences for both consumers and business alike.”

As a first step, Samsung and KDDI will verify 5G use cases for enterprises, and develop new business models. It will help the companies to explore new business opportunities in 5G networks, and expand the scope of enterprise business that the two can offer in collaboration.

“We are excited to deliver our advanced private 5G network solutions to help build a fast and reliable network for enterprises in Japan,” said Satoshi Iwao, Vice President and Head of Network Division at Samsung Electronics Japan. “In collaboration with KDDI, Samsung will continue to deliver on the full potential of private 5G networks, which will play a central role in transforming enterprises and introducing innovative new services to business users.”

Samsung is a pioneer in the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipset, radio, and core network technologies. The company has supported 5G commercial service in leading markets, including Korea and the U.S., where the majority of worldwide 5G subscribers are located, and it is supporting the expansion of 5G in Japan. In addition, the company is rapidly expanding its global footprint to new markets, including Canada and New Zealand.

About KDDI

KDDI is telecommunication service provider in Japan, offering both mobile and fixed-line communications. With its well-established base of over 58 million customers, and through mobile services and shops offering its “au” brand, KDDI is expanding its services into the “Life Design” business, which includes e-commerce, fintech, nationwide electric power utility services, entertainment and education. With a 60-year history, KDDI is now focusing on creating smart infrastructure through IoT technologies and open innovation with partners and start-up companies in diverse industries. KDDI is accelerating the global growth of its telecommunications consumer business, with operations in Myanmar and Mongolia, and in the global ICT business with the “TELEHOUSE” brand. KDDI (TYO:9433) is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange. http://www.kddi.com/english/.

Joan Raventós, CEO of Zhilabs (Left), and Claudia Park, Vice President and Head of Marketing Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics

With many countries prompted to mandate lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, the concept of ‘business as usual’ has changed and we have adapted to a new norm. This has required employees to work from home and students to take classes online for their safety, transforming daily lives into something we have never experienced before. With consumers across all segments spending more time at home, a reliable network has become increasingly important, serving a critical function in assisting those working remotely, communicating with families and friends or obtaining health-related information online.

We will explore how network traffic patterns in some countries have changed since social distancing and stay-at-home orders were implemented, and how communication service providers (CSPs) can respond.

So, what changes did the lockdown bring to our communication networks?

Traffic Changes¹

Samsung and Zhilabs, a Samsung subsidiary specializing in networks analytics, analyzed data traffic changes using CustomAIr, Zhilabs’ network management solution. The results identified several variations in network data traffic before and after the lockdown in some countries.

Our network sampling revealed that data traffic on both fixed broadband networks and mobile networks increased by 48% and 24% respectively since the lockdown.

Using Zhilabs CustomAIr solution, we also took a closer look into consumer app usage. The traffic of virtual business meeting apps increased by 218%, likely due to work-at-home policies at many companies. Also, with students, the traffic of online class apps rose by 437%. These figures are average numbers taken from the apps monitored. Based on our monitoring tool, certain apps even showed a sharp upsurge in data traffic up to 1,917%, which is an extreme amount of growth in this segment.

Shelter-in-place orders have also caused a significant impact on how we spend time daily. More people accessed online networks in order to stay connected with others and to socialize while staying home. This has led to a traffic increase of 38% in social networking apps and 60% in video call apps.

Moreover, restrictions on outdoor activities have resulted in increased demand for leisure activities that can be enjoyed in the comfort of the living room. The traffic for video streaming apps has increased by 32%, and some gaming apps have recorded an explosive growth of up to 2,065%.

Online supermarket apps for grocery purchases and other necessities have experienced a 35% traffic increase, while healthcare apps that allow users to make doctor’s appointments and to get various medical and pharmaceutical information have also experienced a growth of 234%.

Since the onset of ‘the new normal’, we have been faced with an entirely different network consumption pattern. A large increase in network demand has led to a rise in traffic while users still expect the same network quality as before.

Samsung’s Recommendations for Service Providers

At a time when connectivity has become a lifeline for many, maintaining a reliable network is crucial. As shown in the analysis, the upsurge in data traffic may be a burden on the existing network, since it is difficult to foresee sudden changes and immediately address the increased demands. One of the best ways for CSPs to respond is to analyze data traffic patterns and make improvements in specific areas of the network as necessary. Solutions that generate real-time, end-to-end visibility of their network services at the subscriber level can enable more dynamic service level adjustments and enhance user experience. With these kinds of approaches, CSPs can accurately assess subscribers’ data usage patterns and identify the specific areas where optimization or capacity reinforcement is required.

It is difficult to predict how long current uncertainties will last, but one thing is clear—maintaining connectivity is vital for society. CSPs should have the ability to accurately monitor data traffic usage and manage their networks accordingly.

¹ According to European and Southeast Asian web traffic numbers taken from the same period (Mar 8 ~ Apr 6) in 2019 and 2020 respectively

Samsung Networks will provide KDDI with its latest 5G network solutions, including various radio base stations supporting mid-band (3.7~3.8GHz and 4.0~4.1GHz) and mmWave (28GHz) spectrum, as well as virtualized RAN.

Japan is home to one of the world’s most densely populated areas, numerous skyscrapers and a complex infrastructure. Its largest cities are examples of dense metropolitan areas that present technical challenges that need to be addressed when deploying 5G networks using both mid-band and mmWave. This includes the need for operators to ensure seamless and reliable service quality in these dense areas.

KDDI and Samsung have successfully proved that 5G can be implemented in dense metropolitan cities since 2015 using Samsung’s end-to-end 5G solutions. In preparation for the arrival of 5G, the two companies have carried out several successful trials on real-world use cases and achieved world-first 5G milestones. This includes Japan’s first mmWave outdoor 5G handover test success in 2017, 5G handovers for high-speed racing cars and trains in 2017, a real-time free-viewpoint video stream at baseball stadium in 2018, a 5G-powered education showcase in an elementary school in 2019, and a demonstration of the power of real-time 4K video communication at Haneda Airport, Tokyo in 2019.

*The two companies have been collaborating for nearly two decades since 2002.

Samsung has successfully provided end-to-end 5G solutions to the world’s first 5G commercial networks in Korea and U.S. where mobile services for consumers have started in the first half of 2019. It included an in-house chipset, radio base stations, core, virtualized solution and smartphones – all supporting mmWave spectrum and mid-band spectrum.