A whole view of Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek Plant. (Photo: Samsung Electronics)

With Samsung Electronics’ de facto leader Lee Jay-yong back in the management seat, the company’s Pyeongtaek master plan is getting a boost.

The plan calls on Samsung becoming the world’s No. 1 integrated semiconductor leader. Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek Campus has now two lines in operation.

It will create a combined 210,000 jobs.by 2030 when and If the campus’ sixth plant is completed.

Semiconductor industry sources said the Pyeongtaek Campus, which was established in 2015, is a multi-purpose production center for chips items, ranging from memory products like DRAM and NAND flash memory, to ultra-fine foundries for consignment production.

The Pyeongtaek Campus has a third production line under construction.

Construction of a chip production line with two or three floors will cost as much as 30 trillion won. One more line will create 4,000 to 5,000 jobs - about 30,000 jobs when officials from its cooperative companies and construction crews are counted.

If Samsung Electronics builds a sixth production line, it will hire 30,000 people directly, but 180,000 people will be needed when indirect employment is factored in.

In May, Samsung Electronics came up with a grandiose plan to plunk down 171 trillion won by 2030, 38 trillion won more than 133 trillion won in April 2019 when the company unveiled the System Semiconductor Vision 2030.

At that time, the company made it official to complete the P3 project by the end of next second half.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-nam was quoted as saying that Korea needs to maintain a lead in the memory segment, but rivals are catching up. Samsung Electronics will lead advance investments to widen the gap, he added.

The company plans to make the Pyeongtaek Campus a springboard to maintain the leadership in the memory segment and achieve the global No. 1 foundry maker title.

Samsung Moves Ahead in Mobile Technologies with Comprehensive 5G VoNR Solution

Samsung Electronics announced that it has developed a comprehensive VoNR (Voice over New Radio) solution for 5G voice call services, available for global mobile device manufacturers and network providers.

With the comprehensive solution for VoNR, Samsung offers more streamlined SoC development and 5G VoNR service deployment.

 VoNR technology supports both voice call and data service using the 5G network while the current 5G network approach switches into 4G network when making voice calls.

Without the need for switching between networks, VoNR provides a higher chance of maintaining connection in voice call as well as faster call connection times.

Users can also enjoy true 5G speeds when playing high-performance games or streaming high-quality videos even while staying on a call.

 Samsung’s VoNR solution includes key technologies such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Quality of Service (QoS), and handover.

IMS is the key technology for VoNR that enables all multimedia services - such as audio, video, and extensive data services - within a single IP (internet protocol) network.

Samsung’s 5G NR (New Radio) communication protocol stack for the IMS used in 4G voice calls (VoLTE) is designed for stable compatibility with VoNR services as well.

The protocol stack is an aggregation of software layers that implement the communication protocols needed for different devices to communicate data with each other.

Samsung has also developed the QoS that provides stable support for 5G VoNR and the technology that assists uninterrupted handover between nearby network base stations.

QoS analyzes the flow of data using the network and determines the priority of services in real-time.

Additionally, Samsung’s protocol stack places the highest priority on voice calls anytime, anywhere, thereby enhancing the quality of VoNR.

 “With a surge in the number of 5G smartphone users, there is a higher demand for various 5G technologies and services,” said Kim Jong-han, Vice President of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics.

“We will continue to deliver next-generation mobile communication technologies, including VoNR service support, that will bring users together, faster.”

Samsung’s prolific journey in 5G includes the launch of the Exynos Modem 5100 in 2018, which was the industry’s first multi-mode chip that is fully compliant with the 5G telecommunication standard (5G NR Release-15).

The momentum continued in January this year, with the launch of the Exynos 2100, Samsung’s first premium mobile SoC with an integrated 5G modem.

Being a part of the industry’s first commercial VoNR deployment in Singapore back in July and building on that momentum, Samsung is currently providing its 5G VoNR-integrated solution to global mobile device manufacturers while conducting focused localization and automation tests for VoNR deployment with global network companies.