Globalization allowed Samsung to expand its electronics business worldwide by accessing new markets and technologies. Starting as a small export company in Korea in 1938, Samsung launched its electronics division in 1969 and began manufacturing TVs, radios, and other devices. It entered the mobile phone business in 1980 and partnered with US carriers in the 1990s to become a global brand. Samsung's worldwide production and sales network now employs over 300,000 people and helps the company gain advantages from low-cost resources and exchange of technologies across 61 countries.