Samsung signs a deal to supply 5G network solutions to Spark

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday it signed a contract with Spark, the biggest mobile carrier in New Zealand, to supply 5G network solutions to the company. This marks the first case for Samsung to do such business with New Zealand. Having ventured into major foreign markets such as the U.S., Canada, and Japan, Samsung’s 5G solution is being highly eval‎uated in global telecommunications industry.

Samsung will supply Spark with the locally commercialized 3.5GHz-range 5G base station in addition to other 5G network equipment. The South Korean electronics giant will embark on establishing a commercial 5G network starting this year, proactively harnessing the technologies built on the world’s first commercialization of 5G network, the experiences of establishing large-sized commercial 5G networks, and the knowhow on network optimization.

“Samsung Electronics has many years of experiences in 5G commercialization as well as innovative technologies,” said Rejesh Singh, general manager of Value Management for Spark New Zealand, adding that it will provide commercial 5G services with an enough capacity to process large-sized data and a stable communication quality through Samsung’s technologies. Starting from last year, Spark conducted a test on Samsung’s “end to end solution” capacity encompassing both its telecommunications equipment and devices before signing the supply deal with the South Korean company.

In global 5G landscape, Samsung’s market share is rapidly growing with a spike in growth. According to Dell’Oro Group, a market analysis and research firm, Samsung’s share in the global 5G telecommunications market jumped from 5.6% in 2018 to 15% last year. This feat was attained in the midst of an ever fiercer competition among telecommunications behemoths across the globe. Currently, the biggest player is Huawei, which has a 30% share.


Dong-Il Seo dong@donga.com