Samsung Powers World’s First 3GPP-Compliant Nationwide Public Safety Network with MCPTT Service in Korea

Samsung teams up with leading Korean mobile operators to complete the buildout of Korea’s PS-LTE network in 700MHz

LONDON, UK – April 26, 2021 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the company is powering the world’s first 3GPP-compliant nationwide public safety LTE (PS-LTE) network in Korea, in collaboration with leading mobile operators. This PS-LTE network, operating in the 700MHz spectrum, offers fast and reliable connectivity to first responders in over 330 public safety organizations and agencies, including police, firefighters, emergency medical services and the military.

The deployment includes Samsung’s Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) with multimedia broadcast capabilities, known as evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS). This enables simultaneous transmission to up to 2,500 user devices per cell, which is more than twice the volume of devices supported by previous generation technologies.

The advancement of Samsung’s PS-LTE network solutions, including MCPTT, could have a significant long-term impact for public safety networks in other markets, including the UK, with Thomas Riedel, Head of Samsung Networks Europe, commenting: “Samsung continues to advance its MCPTT solutions, which can further enhance the mission-critical network capabilities in the UK to support stronger collaborative abilities across emergency response teams.”

In this buildout, the PS-LTE network was also interconnected with the existing LTE-Maritime (LTE-M) and LTE-Railway (LTE-R) networks that were already operating in the 700MHz spectrum.

With nationwide coverage, the network serves as a unified platform that helps ensure interoperability among various public safety institutions. This delivers real-time accessibility and enhanced communications capabilities among public safety agencies and personnel in emergency situations.

“Samsung is proud to take part in building the world’s first nationwide PS-LTE network based on 3GPP standards in Korea, leveraging our end-to-end PS-LTE solutions,” said Seungil Kim, Vice President and Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “A reliable network is critical for real-time communication among multiple institutions in case of emergencies. We will continue to offer advanced PS-LTE solutions to bolster Korea’s PS-LTE network, meeting the highest standards for reliability, performance and security.”

Samsung was selected as a provider of end-to-end PS-LTE solutions, from infrastructure to devices, supporting the PS-LTE network buildout beginning in 2018, and completing deployment in March 2021.

With a proven track record of successful network deployments, Samsung continues to lead the advancement of next generation public safety networks. Last year, Samsung demonstrated the world’s first Mission Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) video call on a cloud platform. The company is also leading the standardization of MCPTX over 5G.

For more information, please refer to Samsung’s whitepaper and infographic on mission critical networks:

• Infographic: Mission Critical Network in Korea – Captures the current mission critical network landscape in Korea
• Whitepaper: Mission Critical Network Solutions – Highlights the key network components and features of mission critical networks—including MCPTX, eMBMS and Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and MCPTX interworking function—all offered by Samsung.

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.

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About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

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