In order to ease the transition from 4G to 5G technologies, Samsung today announced the acquisition of Zhilabs. It's a networks analytics startup that's based in Barcelona. Samsung will fully own Zhilabs going forward but the company is going to operate independently with its own management.
Samsung says that this acquisition is going to lay the foundation for the company to finely tune the customer experiences for 5G technologies. AI-based automation is going to play a crucial role in the new services that 5G enables. These include the industrial Internet of Things, connected cars and enhanced network analytics for mobile carriers.
Acquisition to help ease the transition to 5G
This acquisition is in line with Samsung's aim to invest over $20 billion in businesses that it feels will drive future growth. They include artificial intelligence, 5G and components for autonomous cars. The company has not disclosed the terms of this acquisition. It's unknown how much Samsung has spent on this company.
Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said that “5G will enable unprecedented services attributed to the generation of exponential data traffic, for which automated and intelligent network analytics tools are vital.” He added that this acquisition will better enable Samsung to meet these demands. Zhilabs counts major companies like Vodafone and Telefonica among its customers. They use its products to test and analyze network performance in real-time.
Samsung has partnered with major carriers in key markets to power commercial 5G networks. It recently conducted tests on commercial 5G network equipment with SK Telecom in South Korea. The test was a success and will lead to the launch of mobile router-powered 5G service in the country by December this year.
