Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it has joined forces with Microsoft Corp. to provide cloud-based private 5G network solutions as the South Korean tech giant tries to expand its presence in the next-generation communications sector.

Samsung will deploy its virtualized radio access network (RAN), virtualized core, and multi-access edge computing technologies on Microsoft‘s cloud platform Azure, which will better support private 5G networks in enterprises.

“The collaboration highlights key benefits of cloud networks, which can accelerate 5G expansion for enterprises and help them deploy private 5G networks faster,” Samsung said. “Implementing fully-virtualized 5G solutions on a cloud platform also enables vast improvements in the scalability and flexibility of networks for mobile operators and enterprises.”

Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip and smartphone producer, has been trying to provide its 5G end-to-end solutions, ranging from chipset, radio, and core network, to lead the growth of the 5G communications market.

The company recently inked a 7.9 trillion won ($6.7 billion) deal with US telecommunications giant Verizon to supply its 5G network solutions for the next five years. It also secured 5G equipment deals in countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Japan. (Yonhap)