MuniWireless

Samsung is making a “significant strategic investment” in Strix Systems, deepening its commitment to WiMAX in north America.The “significant strategic investment” that Samsung Ventures America announced it was making in Strix Systems this week deepens Samsung’s commitment to WiMAX technology and the wireless mesh market in the United States.

That commitment became clear last summer when Samsung emerged as one of the key players in Sprint Nextel’s plans to deploy mobile WiMAX nationwide. The announcement validated WiMAX which, despite its promise as a mesh technology, has remained largely untested in the United States. At the time of Sprint’s announcement, Tom Jasny, Samsung’s vice president for wireless and broadband networks in the Americas, told analysts the company expected greater growth with WiMAX than CDMA, the technology that previously held its attention. In fact, Jasney was quoted as saying “WiMAX is not only an opportunity for us to be a leader in the U.S. market, but a leader globally.”

The amount of the investment in Strix was not disclosed. Samsung Ventures America’s investment fund is $400 million. Samsung Ventures America’s mandate, according to the a Strix press release announcing the investment, “tracks closely to the strategic priorities of Samsung Electronics’ core operating divisions.”

“We evaluated nearly all the mesh network vendors and chose Strix Systems for their industry leading performance and innovations in technology,” said Brian Kang, Investment Principal of Samsung Ventures America. “Our strategic investment in Strix Systems represents our commitment to the convergence of industry leading wireless technologies and the ability to address the intense demand for mobile voice, video and data services.”

Click here to read the press release.