It is apparent that the next level in mobile connectivity we can look forward to is 5G. US carriers such as AT&T and Verizon have announced plans to gradually roll out 5G coverage in the US, so it doesn’t really come as a surprise to learn that Samsung is getting themselves ready for the 5G evolution.
In a report from Business Korea, it seems that Samsung is working on a 5G Exynos modem of their own. Samsung talked briefly about 5G during CES, but apparently the company showed off what they were working on behind closed doors. If the report is true, this 5G Exynos modem will most likely find their way into the company’s 2019 smartphones, which presumably will include the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy Note 10 (or whatever Samsung plans on calling them).
The report goes on to add that the Samsung Exynos 5G modem chip will satisfy Release 15, an early 5G standard set by the 3GPP. Samsung’s modem is also expected to support both frequency bands below 6GHz and high-frequency bands such as 28GHz and 39GHz. It is also said to be backwards compatible with 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE.
Business Korea quotes an industry watcher as saying, “The Exynos 5G modem chip is expected to go into commercial 5G smartphones in 2019 when 5G services will be tentatively provided in some areas. Samsung Electronics will tap into the 5G smartphone market in the second half of 2021 or 2022 by actively participating in Release 16, the complete 5G standard.”