Damien Kantor
02/08/2021 18:18
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 02/08/2021 18:23
With a long delay compared to other countries in the region, the race for 5G finally started, which implies
multiplying by 100 the current bandwidth
of mobile phone networks.
Last week, Telecom announced that it has enabled 10 sites in Capital and Rosario and
Samsung will put on sale this Friday the 3 versions of the Galaxy S21
, its flagship model
compatible with 5th generation technology
.
"We plan to ship 50% more than the S20,"
Eliseo Outes, a senior executive at the Korean company
, told
Clarín
.
Both initiatives, that of Telecom and Samsung, are intertwined.
And they aim to position themselves at the forefront of an industry that requires the modernization of infrastructure, on the one hand, and the arrival of devices that make it possible to take advantage of
ultra-fast networks
.
Samsung will take advantage of the move from February 12.
At 10 a.m., it will begin shipping its Galaxy S21 series,
one of the strongest launches of the year
, with prices that vary depending on the model, screen size and capacity: $ 120,000 (classic), $ 140,000 (plus) and $ 180,000 in the ultra version.
The Galaxy S21 line strong promotional actions: during the first two weeks, for each device sold will deliver an "eVoucher" of up to $ 33,000, which can
be exchanged for accessories such
as headphones and wireless chargers.
They will also offer financing of 12 installments without interest for Galicia's American Express cards or 9 installments, also without interest, for the rest of the plastics.
The S21 integrates the exclusive platoon of 5G phones that arrive in Argentina.
There are only two antecedents, both from Motorola, which already has two models on the market: the Edge ($ 89,990) and the Razr 5G ($ 149,900), a foldable phone compatible with next-generation networks.
"It is the first time that a flag model has been launched in the country
just 4 weeks after its global launch
. Before, the difference was between 2 and 3 months," boasted Outes.
As part of the sales stimulus plan, Samsung included the S21 in the
"Galaxy Forever Program"
, which takes part of the payment for used equipment and, according to its appraised value, allows savings of up to 50%.
Following the hit of the pandemic and quarantines,
6.5 million units were shipped
in 2020
.
In the industry they project
a growth of 15%
for this year
, especially in the mid-range models, which represent 40% of the market.
"The high and the medium high concentrate 16%", Outes clarified.
With no certain date yet, the deployment of 5G will drive a forced technology change, which could translate into a new peak in sales.
The truth is that the development of the networks depends to a large extent on Enacom, the telecommunications regulator.
A key piece of information is the delivery of the appropriate frequencies so that the telephone companies can make investments to adapt the infrastructure to a bandwidth much higher than the current one.
"There is no date for that yet, but we plan to carry out a test in the first half of the year," explained an official source.
"The 5G network will offer great opportunities for the development of the IoT (internet of things) thanks to its high response speed (
100 times higher than browsing over the 4G network
), low latency and multiplicity of devices connected at the same time", stressed from Telecom.
Last week the company enabled 10 sites suitable for 5G, half in Capital (near the Teatro Colón) and the rest in Rosario, around the Monument to the Flag.
In those areas, a 5G cell phone will be able to access speeds higher than usual, as if to test what the new technology is like.
