At a press conference held at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya today, Samsung Electronics unveiled its end-to-end portfolio of 5G mobile network products and solutions for 2017. Showcased products included consumer devices for fixed wireless access connectivity, a 5G Radio Base Station (5G Access Unit), Next-Generation Core Network infrastructure and more. With pre-commercial versions of the equipment already under deployment in trial networks across the globe, Samsung’s commercial 5G portfolio is backed by a continually growing foundation of experience, knowledge and concrete trial results.

“Samsung has been focused on 5G R&D for nearly half a decade, and this portfolio launch represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and industry engagement,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Next Generation Communications Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “With pre-commercial deployment of our 5G products already underway in the US, we’re starting to see some of the earliest evidence of the potential for new and compelling 5G-driven services – it will be exciting to see it evolve as we move forward on our roadmap.”

At the Network Edge

While Samsung has been a long-time vendor of 3G and LTE home femto products, Samsung’s compact 5G Home Router (Customer Premise Equipment, or CPE) represents exploration of new territory – from extending the mobile network towards planting a new fixed wireless network. The 5G Home Router will provide direct and straightforward connectivity to the wireless network, with the simple placement of the 5G Home Router in a window facing a nearby 5G Radio Base Station. A peak data rate of up to 1Gbps will allow service providers to dimension networks that provide an attractive alternative to often-costly FTTH deployments.

The 5G Radio Base Station itself is a natural extension of today’s LTE small cells, designed to be installed in a dense configuration that allows for very high network capacities. The system supports 28GHz mmWave spectrum – a common frequency in leading 5G markets – and is capable of providing up to 10Gbps among devices within its coverage range. With an emphasis on compact size and easy installation, Samsung aims to make 5G network deployments less resource-intensive compared to today’s LTE small cell deployments.

A Fully Virtualized Core Network

As the centralized point of control and direction for network traffic, the core network plays a critical role, and Samsung’s Next-Generation Core Network infrastructure provides a significant leap in performance and flexibility in line with the requirements and demands of emerging connectivity use cases. With a shift to a software-driven architecture, the virtualized core gains the ability to flexibly split network resources, and even individual network functions, in order to maintain peak operational efficiencies. One example of this is the ability to allow data-heavy internet-bound traffic to exit the service provider’s network closer to the user, reducing the potential for congestion within the operator’s network, while potentially improving service responsiveness for users.

Network-wide Management Capabilities

The shift towards a virtualized, or software-driven, network architecture brings a greater degree of complexity in managing the various systems as well as the highly dynamic configuration and traffic routing potential. By leveraging similarly powerful Maintenance and Operation (MANO) systems, as well as localized virtual Element Management Systems (EMS), Samsung can ensure that each component of the network is running at peak efficiency, and in full coordination with the network overall. The network management systems are designed to handle the complexities of next-generation architectures while providing network operations staff with intuitive controls to manage and fine-tune service delivery and network performance.

From Here to Commercial Launch

With pre-commercial versions of these products and solutions already under deployment with operators in the US, Korea and Japan, Samsung’s 5G product portfolio represents the final leg of the journey towards industry 5G adoption. Leveraging additional experience from trials planned for 2017, Samsung’s 5G products will drive the first wave of commercial 5G deployments and will help to ensure a successful and smooth introduction of entirely new services and use cases as the mobile industry ushers in a new era of connectivity. Going forward, Samsung will focus on extending its 5G portfolio with support for Below 6GHz 5G connectivity. Adopting 3GPP Release-15 specifications is another priority, and Samsung’s 5G portfolio is designed to be upgradable to 3GPP standards as they are finalized.

Samsung also showcased the launch of a its 5G RFIC and ASIC modem chipsets that will power the next generation of 5G network infrastructure, including Samsung’s 5G Home Router and 5G Radio Base Station products – more details on the showcase can be found here.

Attendees were welcomed by David Lowes, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics Europe, who began by discussing Samsung’s drive to push the limits of innovation. To illustrate the company’s extensive efforts, Mr. Lowes welcomed Tim Baxter, President and COO of Samsung Electronics America, to the stage, who announced Samsung’s launch of a commercial 5G network portfolio as well as its plan to provide the world’s first 5G fixed wireless networks, offering blazing fast gigabit home broadband, by early next year.

Mr. Baxter was then joined by Verizon’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Technology Architect, Roger Gurnani, who spoke on his company’s collaboration with Samsung to begin the first customer trials of 5G technology.

Later, Mark Notton, Samsung Electronics Europe’s Head of Portfolio Strategy, took to the stage to discuss the first of the company’s new tablet offerings: the Galaxy Tab S3. Describing the device as “a beautiful piece of craftsmanship that’s also powerful, fast and versatile,” Mr. Notton illuminated how the tablet’s advanced entertainment and gaming features and refined S Pen, which embodies a creative heritage dating back to Samsung’s popular Note line, help users have more fun.

Afterward, Alanna Cotton, Vice President of Samsung Electronics America, revealed the other new addition to Samsung’s tablet lineup: the Galaxy Book. After unveiling the device, Ms. Cotton outlined how Samsung optimized the 2-in-1 tablet with a lightweight and sturdy design, fast-charging battery, speedy, seventh-generation Intel® Core processor and Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system to offer users the most powerful and productive experience possible. As she told the crowd, “We’re giving users not just a perfect balance between a tablet and a laptop, but a device that can do everything their high-powered PC does.”

Before inviting attendees to test out the new tablets for themselves, Samsung took a moment to announce the launch of a new, motion-sensing Bluetooth controller for the Gear VR headset, designed to help users navigate and immerse themselves in virtual reality content, and also shared an exclusive sneak peek at another Galaxy innovation soon to make its own highly anticipated debut.

After showing a brief video offering a taste of its next flagship smartphone, Samsung distributed invitations to attend a Galaxy Unpacked event on March 29.

In case you missed the exciting announcements, check out the highlights of the event below.

Samsung’s pre-MWC 2017 press conference welcomed approximately 1,900 attendees – as well as those live streaming the event from across the globe – for a sneak peek at its latest mobile innovations. Attendees await the start of the event inside the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya’s packed conference hall.

David Lowes, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics Europe, discusses Samsung’s commitment to quality, as well as its drive to keep innovating and pushing boundaries.

Tim Baxter, President and COO of Samsung Electronics America, announces Samsung’s launch of a commercial 5G network portfolio.

Roger Gurnani, Verizon’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Technology Architect, discusses his company’s collaboration with Samsung to bring 5G networks to the masses.

Mark Notton, Samsung Electronics Europe’s Head of Portfolio Strategy, discusses the first new addition to Samsung’s versatile tablet lineup: the Galaxy Tab S3.

Attendees were especially impressed by the Galaxy Tab S3’s sleek design, powerful multimedia features and new, multifunctional S Pen.

Alanna Cotton, Vice President of Samsung Electronics America, reveals the new Galaxy Book 2-in-1 tablet – designed to deliver powerful, PC-level performance.

Peggy Johnson, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of Business Development, describes how the Galaxy Book’s S Pen functionality and Windows 10 integration allow users to enjoy new levels of productivity.

Illustrator, designer and Adobe Creative Resident Becky Simpson demonstrates how the S Pen’s precision, natural feel and ability to vary the thickness of its strokes depending on the angle at which it’s tilted can help artists create.

Samsung reveals a new, motion-sensing Bluetooth controller for the Gear VR headset, designed to help users better navigate and immerse themselves in virtual reality content.

Attendees get hands-on with the just-released tablets.

An immersive monument unveiled immediately after the press conference invites attendees to ‘Unbox your phone’ at a March 29 Galaxy Unpacked event.

Date: February 26 (Sun) 19:00 CET (Doors open at 18:00)

Venue: Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Barcelona (Address: Avinguda Diagonal, 661-671, 08028 Barcelona, Spain)

Samsung will unveil new products during a press conference that will be live streamed on www.samsung.com/galaxy and Samsung Newsroom.