The Samsung Networks Innovation Center at its Plano, Texas, headquarters is now open for business, providing a space for collaborators to see the company’s latest network offerings up close.
The center focuses on technologies that are of interest to mobile operators and enterprises, including virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRAN), fixed wireless access (FWA) and private networks, according to a post by Christine Nelson, senior manager at Samsung Networks Business.
The facility supports hands-on collaboration among Samsung’s partners and customers, including a dedicated on-site testing lab for working on new network innovations and solutions, according to the company. A RAN wall showcases various products from its indoor and outdoor network solutions, and videos illustrate the company’s history of innovation, virtualized core solutions and network services.
“The Samsung Networks Innovation Center is a culmination of the company’s 40-year journey from challenger to global networks leader, reinforcing our commitment to investing in the rapidly changing U.S. market,” Nelson wrote.
Samsung established its networks business in the U.S. in 1999 and claims many commercial network deployment firsts, from 3G to 4G and now 5G. Its 5G customers in the U.S. include big mobile operators like Verizon and cable companies like Comcast.
According to Nelson, the innovation center’s demo of Samsung’s vRAN technology gives visitors a close look at how virtualized networks offer operators key advantages, such as increased network flexibility, efficiency and optimization. Another demo gives visitors an opportunity to use an active 5G network to see various scenarios of network technologies powering FWA.
The private 5G networks demo lets visitors partake in a digital twin AR experience within an industrial workplace, including interaction with a digitized version of a physical turbine engine to view parts virtually and diagnose issues.