Samsung Electronics has announced its C-Band network solutions portfolio, developed to help U.S. mobile operators deliver advanced 5G service in the mid-band spectrum. With this complete line-up, operators can deliver high performance and efficiently expand the coverage of their networks, while providing enhanced 5G experiences to users in both indoor and outdoor environments.
C-Band refers to mid-band spectrum ranging from 3.7 to 4.2 GHz (FR1 5G Spectrum), of which a total of 280 MHz between 3.7 to 3.98 GHz was auctioned by the FCC earlier this year. The spectrum will play a critical role in helping operators provide 5G service with high performance, advanced features, and wide coverage for users in the U.S. Samsung’s new C-Band portfolio includes the latest advanced radios, such as Massive MIMO radio, indoor solutions, and network optimization tools.
Backed by Samsung’s commercial experience delivering 5G network solutions in the mid-band spectrum in leading markets, the company offers U.S. operators a full range of C-Band solutions to deliver on the promise of 5G. Samsung’s C-Band portfolio includes:
- Massive MIMO Radio: Samsung’s C-Band Massive MIMO radio 3D beamforming and supports the full range of the auctioned spectrum range, 280 MHz. The radio will support the latest MIMO technologies including tripling the bandwidth capacity and doubling the output power compared to prior generations. In addition, the radio enables flexible installation for operators deploying 5G. Samsung’s C-Band Massive MIMO radio is commercially available, and thousands of units have already been shipped to the U.S.
- Outdoor Radio: A new compact, lightweight radio with eight antennas – which can operate in bi-sector or tri-sector modes – will be introduced as our new 8T8R radio. By bringing greater flexibility in deployment to operators, this new radio is best suited for rural deployments. The product will be available in the second half of 2021.
- Micro Radio: To address various C-Band deployment environments and scenarios, Samsung is introducing a micro radio, designed for dense urban environments. Through easy installation, such as on light poles in cities, the radio will offer operators the ability to fill coverage holes and gain broader 5G coverage with more efficiency. The product will be available in early 2022.
- Indoor 5G Solutions: Last year, Samsung revealed its Link portfolio, a complete range of 5G indoor solutions that includes Link HubPro and Link Hub. Both will be expanded to support C-Band to bring 5G indoors. Samsung’s Link HubPro is an active antenna solution with indoor radios and hubs, supporting scalable indoor deployment, while Samsung’s Link Hub is for places with an existing Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), providing coverage in public venues (i.e. offices, stadiums, and shopping centers). It uses legacy passive antenna systems for fast, easy 5G upgrades. These indoor solutions will be available in early 2022.
- C-Band Network Optimization Tools: Samsung introduces two new C-Band network deployment and management solutions. First, the Earth Station Protection Solution, commercially available now, enhances C-Band networks by preventing interference between a base station and a satellite earth station. Second, Samsung’s Time Division Duplex (TDD) Interference Manager is a central coordinator that manages remote interference between cells in TDD networks, enhancing the performance of the C-Band network. The TDD Interference Manager will be available in early 2022.
“Samsung is proud to help operators deploy 5G networks in the C-Band spectrum with our expansive portfolio of solutions,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “C-Band spectrum is foundational for delivering 5G networks with high performance and wide coverage. Our complete C-Band solutions portfolio offers U.S. operators greater flexibility in 5G deployments, which will help drive new business models and opportunities.”
C-Band Acceleration
With Samsung’s C-Band Massive MIMO radio commercially available, units have been shipped for use in Verizon’s state-of-the-art network.
“Verizon has been leading the way with building our 5G Ultra Wideband service on mmWave spectrum using Samsung’s robust mmWave equipment offerings and now, by adding C-band spectrum to this portfolio, we are perfectly positioned to deploy the fastest, most powerful 5G experience to the most people – or as we call it, 5G built right,” said Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President of Technology Planning at Verizon. “We are accelerating our deployment efforts with the support of our partners like Samsung so that our customers will see the benefits of expanding 5G Ultra Wideband service very shortly after the C-band spectrum is cleared later this year.”
“The arrival and deployment of mid-band frequencies like C-Band in the US market are going to lead to an explosion of 5G usage and new applications,” said Bob O’Donnell, president, and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. “Samsung’s industry-leading C-Band portfolio will be critical in helping operators accelerate the buildout of their 5G networks to provide enhanced 5G experiences to users, covering indoor and outdoor applications, as well as urban and rural deployments.”
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.
