Samsung makes more inroads in U.S. GSM market

Samsung Telecommunications America and Cingular Wireless announced a long-term supply agreement designed to bring a large range of Samsung-branded GSM handsets to Cingular customers.

The two companies have launched the SGH-n625, a GSM phone with advanced options that include the ability to personalize incoming calls by assigning one of six colors to up to five phone book entries.

Samsung is quietly and aggressively pushing its way into the GSM handset market. VoiceStream Wireless carries GSM phones, and the vendor is likely to pursue a big relationship with AT&T Wireless, say analysts. The company, known as a dominant CDMA supplier with large carriers such as Sprint PCS, will actually become primarily a GSM supplier in 2002, with the Asian market making up the bulk of GSM sales, said Bryan Prohm, handset analyst with Dataquest. More than 50% of the company’s global handset shipments are going to be GSM handsets, he said.

“CDMA was the stepping stone to leverage platforms and designs,” said Prohm. “Not only are they at the heals of the big handset vendors, they’ve decided to challenge Nokia and Motorola on the GSM handset turf.”