Samsung has announced it will be providing and deploying all of Telefónica’s new LTE network in Chile, giving Movistar access to 4G Internet speeds on their smartphone.
The deal is Samsung’s first 4G project with a European global operator, and means that it will be paid to deploy LTE base stations, as well as all associated systems and network support services, during this year and 2014.
Samsung’s LTE equipment will cover more than 95 percent of the country, as well as 16 out of the 20 most populated cities in Chile, including Gran La Concepcion and Gran Le Serena.
Although the deal was announced only today, Samsung is already underway with its rollout in the area. The firm has already begun running tests throughout the country and has revealed that its first LTE data call was successfully completed earlier this month.
Enrique Blanco Nadales, Global Chief Technology Officer of Telefónica, said the company’s priority was to be able to offer a “superior and differential connectivity experience” to its customers in the area.
“We are convinced that the partnership with Samsung – that has [already] seen a first implementation in our Chilean operation – is and will be fundamental on the objective of delovering superior quality to Telefónica customers,” he added.
Samsung’s partnership with Telefónica joins a long list of previosuly established LTE deals, including Sprint and MetroPCS in the US, KDDI in Japan, SK Telecom in South Korea, Mobily in Saudi Arabia and Three in the UK.
It means that during December 2012, Samsung had deployed over 125,000 commercial LTE cells. The company estimates that across the globe, one in five connections to an LTE network now goes through their equipment.
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