Tags:WiBro | Sprint | 4G | broadband | WIMAX

Samsung Electronics has been asked to set up a WiBro network in New York with Sprint-Nextel, the company said Monday.
The announcement was made at the 2007 Samsung 4G Forum at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul by Choi Gee-sung, president of Samsung Electronics'' Telecommunication Network Business.

WiBro is a wireless broadband technology that allows seamless mobile Internet connections even on the move. The technology was commercialized nationwide in April and now has 30,000 Korean subscribers.

Samsung will provide the equipment and handsets for the U.S. network and Sprint-Nextel will operate it. In March, Sprint and Samsung agreed to build WiBro networks in five cities in the eastern U.S.

[CENTER][upload=jpg]../news_img/200782810453467021.jpg[/upload][/CENTER]

Personnel at the 2006 Samsung Mobile WiMAX Summit at the Shilla Hotel on Nov. 7, 2006, show Deluxe MITs, comprehensive WiBro devices from Samsung Electronics. /Yonhap





"We expect about 100 million users by the end of 2008 on the U.S. service, which will launch April 30 next year," Choi said. "We forecast that WiBro and network businesses will turn a profit in three or five years."

Samsung plans to increase its annual investment in the network unit including the WiBro business from the current W120 billion to W160 billion, and to strengthen its global research and development capacity. As part of this, Samsung has set up a communications research institute in Poland.

"As uncertainties on WiBro are removed, major players around the world are stepping up for it," Choi said. "We will invest in the next generation network business after considering potentialities."


Source: english.chosun