Samsung breaks into Canadian market with 5G, LTE-A for Videotron

Samsung Electronics is expanding its North American presence in wireless infrastructure, striking a deal with Canadian telecom operator Videotron to supply it with 4G LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and 5G radio access network solutions. It marks the first time Samsung is delivering network solutions in Canada. Samsung Electronics is expanding its North American presence in wireless infrastructure, striking a deal with Canadian telecom operator Videotron to supply it with 4G LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and 5G radio access network solutions. It marks the first time Samsung is delivering network solutions in Canada. Videotron has competed in the cable TV and internet access business for decades, and deployed its first wireless operations in 2010. As of the end of September 2019, Videotron was serving nearly 1.3 million mobile phone subscribers. Currently providing 4G LTE service, Videotron plans to launch commercial LTE-A and 5G services in late 2020. Starting in early 2020, Samsung will deliver 4G LTE-A solutions across Quebec and Ottawa; the solutions from Samsung include massive MIMO and dual-band base stations to support the operator’s LTE frequencies. 5G solutions for both 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz spectrum bands are also going to be provided. "While 4G technology has profoundly transformed telecommunications in the world, LTE Advanced and 5G will undoubtedly revolutionize the way we interact with our loved ones and the environment around us,” said Videotron President and CEO Jean-François Pruneau in a statement. “We want to be with our customers through these major changes and our choice of Samsung as the supplier is not a coincidence, we are convinced that they represent the best option to achieve this objective.” While Samsung enjoys a high profile on the device side of wireless, its presence in infrastructure is rising in the U.S. thanks to big wins with carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. T-Mobile is using gear from Ericsson and Nokia for its 5G network. Samsung has talked about deploying its 5G massive MIMO Unit (MMU) radio base stations in the South Korean 5G market using 3.5 GHz spectrum. According to Samsung, a key characteristic of its MMUs is they’re among the smallest and lightest in the industry, ensuring they can be easily installed in an operator’s existing cellular sites with minimal changes.