I am the first to admit that I don’t know everything there is to know about the different wireless data protocols and their acronyms, but I generally have a good idea of what each is and what the initials used mean. CDMA, WiFi, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EVDO, Bluetooth…no problem, I’ve got it. But until this week I had never heard of WiMAX.
What is WiMAX? Think 4G. Think the next big thing for broadband data speeds on a mobile device. Think CDMA. Think Sprint.
According to a Sprint press release from August,
Samsung Telecommunications America will be a primary Mobile WiMAX infrastructure supplier to Sprint Nextel and will also deliver dual-mode devices supporting Mobile WiMAX and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, designed to enable Sprint’s Mobile WiMAX users to utilize Sprint Nextel’s existing 3G network resources. With its installation of networks in South Korea and other markets, Samsung Electronics is the first to commercially deploy Mobile WiMAX and with its alliance with Sprint Nextel will bring this global expertise to North America. Samsung is the global leader in delivering Mobile WiMAX technologies and offers Sprint a total solution including chipsets, infrastructure, mobile devices and consumer electronics focused on Mobile WiMAX and dual-mode WiMAX/CDMA services delivery.
While at the Samsung Summit this week, we were given several presentations that included references to WiMAX and the new 4G network. I’ve included as many PowerPoint screen shots as I could get during the presentations, and added some notes in between.
It’s not as good as being there, but I hope you’ll find the following presentation is the next best thing…
Don’t strain your eyes – full size versions of all pictures can be found in my flickr account. 
This is Dale Sohn, the President of Samsung US. After a brief introduction, he gave us a run-down of some of the things Samsung had accomplished in the United States over the last ten years.
Some notes taken while he spoke:
-1996 – Samsung in Richardson Texas
-1999 – Samsung top 5 wireless carrier, 1st North American phone with internet access�
-2003 – partnership with Cingular, first Pocket PC Phone Edition with integrated digital camera
-2005 – 80 million accumulated handheld sales in US
-Samsung is platform agnostic, will continue to deliver phones based on multiple platforms.
-In the last 10 years, Samsung has played and integral part in forming the NA PDA Phone market, global leader in wireless technologies
-2006 – Samsung has been chosen by Sprint to bring WiMAX to the US
-2nd largest phone manufacturer in NA
-Shipped 100 millionth handset in NA this month
-Samsung consistently receives recognition for their quality and customer loyalty.
The next speaker was Phil Garrison, Samsung’s in-house Mobile Analyst, who spoke about carrier relationships…
This box of matched Samsung music phones was passed about as we listened to Phil. The second to the left phone is actually lime green, but it photographed as yellow. 
When flipped open, the dial pad is revealed. I would love to have a phone for every outfit. 
Some notes taken during his presentation:
-4G = WiMax
-Samsung will launch approx. 60 products in the next year
-Samsung chooses to master both GSM & CDMA, they want to be in all corners of the market
-Samsung wants to be the USER’S phone, the phone people use – durability and quality in manufacturing. One of the lowest product return rates in the industry due to high manufacturing quality.
-Samsung phones all have data that is matched to the service carrier
-Samsung is a very distributed organization that matches and fine tunes the devices to the infrastructure that the carrier has deployed. they develop products together with the carriers to optimize market
-Carrier Collaborative Cycle – the needs of the end product user experience is what drives the development of Samsung devices. For instance, what size screen is needed to play the game on a gaming device?; what size speaker is needed for a multimedia device?
-They don’t build the hot device and then try to sell it – they listen to the needs of the carrier for the product and then design the product the carrier wants to carry based on their roadmaps and the device that the carrier wants to offer.
-Samsung becomes the brand that brings the excitement and the energy to the carrier.
-The products that Samsung designs take into mind the different places that people use their mobile devices and their accessories.
-A 10 year old in the US today will spend approximately $30K in wireless devices in his lifetime.
-”Why isn’t a university education available to you where you want it, when you want it?”
-”The World in your hands – that is we’re heading and that’s what we want to be.”
This is Randy Smith, Samsung’s VP Wireless Terminals…
Some notes taken during his presentation:
-Releasing over 1 product a week for the next year – understanding the customer is their key to segmentation.
-The market is fairly saturated, so content is becoming more accepted as a way to add value and differentiate your product in the market.
-Customers are now very knowledgeable and experienced, and they demand products that are relevant to THEM.
-Knowing the product is no longer enough, wanting the product is no longer enough – Samsung wants customers that NEED the product.
-They want loyal customers who want new devices with new content, and who want to manage “MY” needs.
-5 years ago – “If we build it they will come.” Now it is, “If people need it, we will build it.”
-Samsung is working very hard to understand the future needs of their consumers while working together with the carriers to build the product and the networks that consumers want and need.
-Taking the customer’s wishes to the carrier is the key in the American market – injecting local research based on research, needs analysis, feedback from customers, leveraged with Samsung’s brand strength.
-Samsung’s goal is to understand consumer needs, develop & design products that create desire, manufacture products of inherent quality, deliver the brand promise, leverage global technology leadership & scale.
This is Muzibul Khan, Samsung’s VP for product management and engineering. A funny story is that Rich, Joel, Michael, Vincent and I sat with him and Tom Jasny the night before at the dinner. Tom gave us cards and we were all suitably impressed with his title (VP Wireless & Broadband Network Systems), but Muzibul did not have any cards with him. He sat there and intently listened to our conversation about UMPC form factor, favorite mobile phones, what made one device more usable than another…and the six of us basically were the last ones seated together, still talking after everyone else had got up. The next morning, he gave us business cards and we were all teasing him when we realized his title…sneaky, sneaky.
Notes taken during Muzibul’s presentation:
-What is the technology driving the product – the engine under the hood. Implementation and manufacturing
-The world of wireless – all networks will eventually become wireless, all wireless networks will eventually be converged.
-T-709 launched with T-Mobile is the first UMA device that supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE/ and WiFi VoIP.
-In the future, convergent products that support WiMAX CDMA & WiMAX/WiFi will be available. Takes the call from one network to another seamlessly. -Samsung was the first NA carrier to offer integrated GPS in a phone
-IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) – a standardized Next Generation Networking architecture to provide mobile and fixed media and VoIP.
This is our other dinner partner, Tom Jasny, Samsung’s VP of Wireless and Broadband Network Systems. He gave an overview of the WiMAX/Infrastructure.
Notes taken during Tom’s presentation:
-WiBro was shown in Korea 13 months ago.
-802.16d – fixed wireless alternative to cable and DSL services
-802.16e – Mobile WiMAX for voice – it IS WiBRO
-Never underestimate the need for faster broadband
-WiMAX Standard was ratified last December (over a year ago)
-WiMAX is not a wireless killer – it will co-exist in harmony and interplay with the other technologies.
Did you notice the projected speeds for 4G? Are you getting excited yet??
Related posts:
CES: T-Mobile Press Event and their Newest Tablets
Video of the Samsung SPH-P9000 in Action
HTC Releases Five Phones and One Tablet in an Attempt to Rule Them All
Windows Phone 8 Launch Event
The Asus Transformer Prime and PadFone Offer a New Definition of “Convergence”
MWC: Hands-On with HTC’s Newest Devices
