The News: Samsung and Ciena, announced a partnership to deliver 5G network solutions this past week. Ciena, a networking systems, services, and software provider is largely focused on network innovation. Samsung has pioneered a successful delivery of 5G solutions including chipsets, radios, and core and is focused on advancing 5G networks. This partnership is about the evolution of network architecture, providing faster, pre-validated implementation of 5G networks, and offering both hardware and software solutions to telecom operators. Read the full press release from Samsung here.
Samsung and Ciena Partner to Deliver 5G Network Solutions
Analyst Take: Samsung and Ciena partnering on delivering 5G network solutions is something I believe we will continue to see more of. This partnership is focused on supporting telecom operators and delivering both hardware and software solutions that will enable them to support the massive increase in data and traffic at the edge and facilitate the increased demand by customers for AR and VR experiences along with HD video streaming and gaming.
Some back story on Ciena. With some 7,000 employees and 1,700 customers in 35+ countries around the world, the company serves some of the world’s largest mobile network operators and is known for its coherent optical, routing and switching, and analytics-driven automation.
This partnership is about combining Samsung’s 5G RAN and Core with Ciena’s xHaul Routing and Switching network.
As mentioned earlier, Samsung has long been a leader in development of 5G solutions, including chipsets, radios, and core solutions. The company also delivers fully virtualized RAN and Core solutions, along with private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools.
The Samsung and Ciena partnership will offer network operators the ability to cost-effectively modernize their network assets and use technology like Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), Segment Routing, and edge computing to help support existing business opportunities, as well as prepare and court new, more innovative opportunities.
Equally as important, the partnership between Samsung and Ciena is intended to help manage massive data across networks and to the cloud, as well as to accelerate the deployment of advanced applications that are enhanced by 5G (think network slicing, IoT and AI-powered automation.
My colleague and fellow analyst Ron Westfall and I discussed the partnership between Samsung and Ciena in the latest episode of The 5G Factor, a series that’s a part of our Futurum Tech Webcast. You can watch that conversation here:
Or grab the entire show here, if you prefer:
and stream the audio here if you prefer.
I’ll also mention that Samsung Tech Day 2021, is coming up on November 15th. My partner Daniel Newman recently interviewed Jim Elliott, Corporate SVP of Memory Sales for Samsung about what attendees can expect at Samsung Tech Day 2021. This virtual event will showcase how Samsung Semiconductor is powering new and unique experiences across the tech ecosystem with memory innovations. You can read the show notes or watch the interview here:
We highly recommend you register for Samsung Tech Day 2021 here and get the event on your calendar. If you’re not able to attend live, you’ll be able to stream the sessions on demand once you’ve registered. Link to register is here.
Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Other insights from Futurum Research:
Samsung Tech Day 2021: Key Takeaways
New Report Points to Samsung and Vivo as World’s Fastest Growing 5G Smartphone Vendors in Q1 2021
Why AI is Essential to Enabling the Success of 5G Networks
Author Information
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years' experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging development, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly's coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
