Samsung hires two ex-Ericsson executives to lead network business

South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has hired two former executives of Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson to boost its network business.

Samsung recently established a new business strategy task force under its network business division and named Henrik Jansson, formerly Ericsson’s sourcing manager, to head the task force, industry officials said on Monday.

Samsung has also hired Jo Mi-sun, who previously worked as the head of sustainability and corporate responsibility at Ericsson, and named her as an executive in charge of new network business opportunities and sales in Europe.

The two former Ericsson officials will oversee Samsung’s efforts to expand its presence in Europe’s telecommunications network equipment market, including the 5G, 6G and open radio access network (open RAN) services.

The appointments come after Samsung promoted Vice President Kim Woo-june as the company’s network business division chief during its year-end executive reshuffle in December.

Since Chairman Jay Y. Lee took the helm of the conglomerate last year, Samsung has been aggressively expanding its telecom network business, having chosen the sector as one of the company’s future growth drivers.

LEE REACHES OUT TO GLOBAL EQUIPMENT CHIEFS

He has been reaching out to leaders of global telecom equipment makers in support of Samsung’s telecom equipment sales.

Last November, Samsung clinched a deal to supply 5G network equipment to Japan’s top mobile carrier NTT Docomo Inc.

Samsung is among the first to supply 5G network equipment globally after it helped Korean mobile carriers commercialize the world’s first 5G service in 2019. Samsung is one of the major suppliers to Japan’s KDDI Corp.

Samsung is also increasing network equipment sales in the US. In September, it agreed to supply 5G telecom equipment to US media giant Comcast Corp.

In March, it was chosen as the 5G equipment supplier to Dish Network Corp.

In 2020, Samsung clinched a 7.9 trillion won ($6.6 billion) deal to supply equipment to Verizon Communications Inc.

More recently, in partnership with Japan’s KDDI, Samsung demonstrated its 5G network slicing technology in a 5G standalone commercial network environment in mid-January.

Network slicing refers to a network architecture that divides a physical mobile communications network into multiple independent virtual networks to provide customized communications services for different purposes.

Samsung Group has chosen 5G communications equipment as one of its growth engines alongside three other businesses – artificial intelligence, bio and electronic components for semiconductors.

Write to Sungsu Bae at baebae@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.