Companies join forces to build 5G networks for KDDI commercial service in March 2020

Samsung Electronics today announced it has been selected by Japanese telecommunications operator KDDI to provide 5G network solutions for KDDI’s 5G commercial service launch. The companies will join forces to complete the network roll-out, with commercial service expected to begin in March 2020.

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.