The companies will collaborate to verify the capability and performance of Samsung’s 4G and 5G network solutions on Virgin Media O2’s commercial network.
The trial will assess the interoperability between Samsung’s latest solutions and Virgin Media O2’s 2G and 3G legacy networks.
“With this trial, we are excited to join hands with Virgin Media O2 to demonstrate the readiness of our 5G network solutions for deployment in the U.K. and our capabilities in bringing immersive and reliable 4G and 5G mobile experiences to users,” said Woojune Kim, executive vice president, head of global sales & marketing, networks business at Samsung Electronics.
“At Samsung, we are continuously enhancing mobile experiences through powerful network solutions that advance and drive 5G to new levels.”
Samsung says it will provide its solutions which includes baseband unit, 5G Massive MIMO radios and 4G radios on low-band and mid-band spectrums while being Open RAN compliant.
Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2 said: “Vendor diversity is crucial to developing safe, secure, and more efficient networks.
“We look forward to undertaking these initial trials with Samsung, which is another milestone in our continued journey to provide the best possible 5G experience for our customers, as well as boosting our 4G network, as we look to upgrade the U.K.”
Earlier this week, Virgin Media O2 announced the launch of Volt - its first joint product since the two companies merged.
Virgin Media O2 says that Volt benefits will include a broadband boost to the next tier, double mobile data on all eligible O2 pay monthly plans, and roaming in 75 countries including the USA, Australia, and Spain.
