Samsung partnered with Deutsche Telekom to complete what it claimed was the first standalone (SA) 5G trial in the Czech Republic, as the South Korean vendor made inroads to the European network market.

In a statement, Samsung said the trial was completed in the city of Pilsen using its end-to-end SA 5G multi-user MIMO technologies on 3.5GHz, which tripled spectrum efficiency in comparison with LTE.

Throughput was around two-and-a-half times higher than single user MIMO: Samsung added SA 5G architecture enabled more efficient and simple processes for operators, opening new user experiences and business models for enterprises.

Expanding into Europe
The move could prove significant for Samsung’s 5G ambitions for the European market. The company noted it supports commercial services across leading markets including South Korea, the US, Japan, Canada and New Zealand.

However, it is yet to establish a firm presence in Europe, with the 5G network landscape dominated by rivals Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei.

Indeed, with Deutsche Telekom’s vast footprint in the continent and Huawei facing an uncertain future due to security concerns in several markets, Samsung could have an opportunity to step up its presence.

Woojune Kim, EVP, head of global sales and marketing at Samsung’s Networks Business, said the trial was an important milestone in “both companies’ efforts to bring 5G to the next phase”.

Samsung further touted its Massive MIMO radio and core, both used in the trial. On the latter, the company said operators could easily scale in and out new business models, and “create multiple network slices in a physical network infrastructure”.