Samsung Electronics Wednesday announced it has acquired full stakes in Zhilabs, a Spanish network analytics company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor carriers’ network performances and data traffic. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition aims to bolster Samsung’s competitiveness in the fifth-generation network industry, one of Samsung Group’s four key growth drivers for the future alongside AI, car electronics and biologics. Zhilabs will be operated independently by existing management even after the acquisition, the South Korean tech giant said.

Founded in 2008, Barcelona-based Zhilabs’ solution helps carriers drill down into the network performance experience at the individual subscriber level. Its solution is currently provided to 50 global carriers.

Samsung Electronics said Zhilabs’ solutions equipped with AI technology effectively carries out complicated tasks, such as root causes analysis and auto trouble shooting and optimization.

“5G will enable unprecedented services attributed to the generation of exponential data traffic, for which automated and intelligent network analytics tools are vital,” said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “The acquisition of Zhilabs will help Samsung meet these demands to assure each subscriber receives the best possible service.”

“5G technology will disrupt the communications landscape for the better, but it will only be successful if the quality of the networks transferring the information can be measured and improved to provide a best-in-class experience,” said Joan Raventós, CEO at Zhilabs. “We are delighted to be joining the Samsung Electronics family and adding a contribution with our software products and technology to the existing end-to-end solutions that the company offers its customers.”

Shares of Samsung Electronics finished Wednesday 1.26 percent higher at 44,150 won ($39.20).

By Lee Seung-hoon and Minu Kim

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