200 Galaxy S24 Ultra units will help kick off the 2024 Summer Olympics

On July 26th, the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France. As one of the sponsors of the Summer Games, Samsung is planning to put 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra handsets on the bows and sterns of the 85 ships that will be taking part in the ceremony. The handsets (valued at just under $260,000) will be used to show a livestream as 10,500 athletes participating in the event ride down the Seine River. Each ship will carry one national delegation

For Samsung, this is a great promotional opportunity and it will take place just 16 days after the company holds its second Unpacked event of 2024. During this event we should see Samsung unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Galaxy Watch 7 series including the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Buds, and the Galaxy Ring.

While Samsung will provide the hardware with the 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra units it is providing, the phones will stream high-quality HDR footage over a private 5G network belonging to Orange, the official mobile network provider of Paris 2024 in France. To make this work, Orange will install more than a dozen 5G antennas along the Seine creating the first standalone 5G network in France. Samsung says that "This pioneering collaboration is designed to ensure a seamless 5G connectivity and viewing experience for fans around the world."

A standalone 5G network is built with a 5G core and 5G Radio architecture. A non-standalone 5G network uses a 4G core and a new 5G Radio Access Network (RAN). The latter is used when a carrier needs to, for time or financial reasons, use an existing LTE network to offer 5G service.

Stephanie Choi, EVP & Head of Marketing of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics says, "In an increasingly connected society, Samsung Galaxy mobile technology has helped deepen and transform users’ relationships with the world, wherever they are. Having been a Worldwide Partner for nearly three decades, we know first-hand how important it is to create and enable the same meaningful connections at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We’re honored to be working closely with the IOC and OBS to provide high-quality footage that will be part of a series of firsts at Paris 2024 and bring fans at home and onsite even closer to the excitement."

The parade route runs six kilometers (3.7 miles) through the center of Paris passing by some of the venues where the Olympic games will take place. For Samsung, this will be a great promotion for the brand and the Galaxy S24 Ultra.