Ever since western markets started distancing themselves from Huawei, the world's largest network equipment brand, Samsung has begun focusing on its network business globally. Now, the South Korean firm has a chance to prove its telecommunication technologies, and it could rank fourth in the network equipment market in 2020.
According to a new report from market tracker TrendForce, Samsung is estimated to an 8.5 percent share of the network equipment market this year, which is up from 6.5 percent in 2019. After the successful deployments of 5G networks for KT, LG Uplus, and SKT in South Korea, the company has seen a surge in its networks business. The company has also bagged orders from American brands like AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, and Canadian operator TELUS.
Despite the improvement in its market share, Samsung will still rank fourth in the global market, which is dominated by Chinese and European players. Huawei is expected to overtake Ericsson as the top vendor in the global mobile base station equipment market with a 25.8 percent share. Ericsson and Nokia will reportedly be able to capture 26.5 percent and 22 percent share of the market, respectively.
It is being expected that the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in people's lifestyles will help the 5G market grow further. Samsung has already been expanding its presence in the 5G network equipment market and improving its technologies. It recently started offering 5G virtualized RANs to operators for improved cost-effectiveness and easier network load management. The company has also developed a way to use AI and drones to maintain 5G towers.
