As worldwide smartphone sales start to plateau, tech giant Samsung is taking the plunge into artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G telephony. Samsung covets Zhilab’s strengths in network data analysis and it has acquired the Barcelona-based Zhilabs for an undisclosed amount.
Here is an excerpt from Andy Meek’s article on bgr.com:
In its announcement, Samsung said that Zhilabs is known for its AI-based network and service analytics. AI-based automation, the hardware giant continues, “will play a central role in the introduction of new services in the 5G era, such as industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and connected cars, as carriers will require automated solutions and network analytics beyond what was possible in previous generations. AI-based transformation can be used to analyze user traffic, classify applications being used, and improve overall service quality, as such needs can no longer be addressed by existing solutions.”
Existing customers of Zhilabs include companies like Vodafone and Telefonica, which rely on it to help get real-time insight into network performance. While it will be fully owned by Samsung, Zhilabs will continue to operate independently under its own management. Samsung went on to say the company is looking forward to teaming up and sharing “joint capabilities” to create new technology as the world evolves from 4G to 5G.
Zhilabs CEO Joan Raventos in a statement explained that 5G technology will disrupt the communications landscape for the better, albeit with this caveat: It will only be successful if the quality of the networks transferring information can be measured and thus improved upon.
