Videotron today announced that Samsung Electronics (Samsung) has been selected as its partner for the deployment of LTE Advanced and 5G radio access technologies throughout the province of Québec and the Ottawa region. This new step allows Videotron to accelerate the deployment of its next-generation network and aim for a gradual service availability in the second half of 2020.

This partnership is the result of an extensive selection process to identify the most complete and evolutive 5G option that fits Videotron’s ambitious objectives. Videotron wanted to team up with a partner that fully understands the needs and reality of today's consumers, which Samsung is able to achieve, particularly from its expertise in both the network equipment development and deployment as well as in the development and marketing of mobile devices. In addition to providing radio access equipment, this partnership will allow Samsung to support Videotron in its quest to offer the best possible services and customer experience through several initiatives.

Samsung Networks will deliver its latest LTE Advanced and 5G solutions including Radio Units (RU), Digital Units (DU), and Massive MIMO Units (MMU) supporting low, mid, and high-band spectrums. The solutions from Samsung Networks will provide a smooth and reliable migration towards 5G for Videotron and its subscribers.

Quotes

We have been all over the world to find the best supplier suited to meet the evolving needs of our customers. This partnership will allow us to deliver the most advanced telecommunications solutions to Quebecers. While 4G technology has profoundly transformed telecommunications in the world, LTE Advanced and 5G will undoubtedly revolutionize the way we interact with our loved ones and the environment around us. We want to be with our customers through these major changes and the choice of Samsung as a supplier is not a coincidence, we are convinced that they represent the best option to achieve this objective. Videotron has always been at the forefront of major technological changes and the arrival of 5G is no exception. Today's announcement is a very proud moment for us

We are excited to become Videotron’s LTE Advanced and 5G partner. This partnership will be marked as a significant milestone for Samsung and it will be remembered as our first win in the Canadian market. Over the years, Samsung has been dedicated to bringing 4G and 5G technologies and devices globally. This partnership will be the first step in the journey of the network business in Canada, and our mission to bring new mobile experiences to the province of Quebec and the Ottawa region.  Samsung and Videotron will continue to join forces to usher in the 5G era for enhanced communications, and push towards a proliferation of a next generation of wireless networks.

- Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics