Dive Brief:
- Samsung and Japan's NEC Corporation have announced a partnership to help both parties expand their 5G technology portfolios.
- The partnership seeks to combine both partners’ expertise in 5G infrastructure and IT solutions, and aims to provide mobile telecoms and businesses with tailored 5G strategies to meet the demands of different regions and cities.
- "5G development based on standardization will help to accelerate business transformation throughout global markets," NEC executive vice president Atsuo Kawamura said in a statement. "As 5G commercialization is just around the corner, we are confident that the partnership with Samsung will continue to solidify our stance as a 5G leader."
Dive Insight:
As mobile carriers race to get 5G service online for customers and businesses, tech companies are also accelerating their infrastructure production and new strategies for 5G deployment. The NEC partnership comes just days after Samsung announced a partnership with Qualcomm on small cell development to accelerate 5G deployment. Samsung has also worked closely with Verizon (one of many of the telecom’s tech partners) on testing and adapting 5G.
A key part of NEC and Samsung’s new partnership is offering customized services for different mobile providers, owing to the demands of different regions. Dense cities, for example, may require more small cell infrastructure to get the signal around buildings and to meet the needs of more people, while rural areas will face their own challenges with less built-in infrastructure to adapt. Companies are planning to get 5G to customers in initial cities before the end of the year, with more rolling out in 2019 — having tools and guidelines to meet the specific challenges posed by individual markets will accelerate that rollout.
Samsung has also been exploring new uses for 5G beyond mobile service. The company is partnering with AT&T on a "smart factory” project in Texas, meant to show how 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) tools could reshape the manufacturing sector. Companies are also looking forward to applying 5G to everything from health care to transportation to smart grids, which tech firms like Samsung will help drive.
