Samsung purchased Barcelona-based Zhilabs to beef up its analytics capabilities as artificial intelligence (AI)-based automation will play a greater role in the launch of new services on 5G networks.

The smartphone giant said in a statement the acquisition, which closed for an undisclosed sum, lays the foundation for it “to foster its 5G offerings of automation and network analytics to finely tune the customer experiences in the 5G era.”

Zhilabs, known for its AI-based network and service analytics, will be fully owned by Samsung but will operate independently under its own management.

Youngky Kim, president and head of networks business at Samsung, said automated and intelligent network analytics tools will be vital for handling the “unprecedented services” generated by exponential growth in data traffic on 5G networks.

Zhilabs CEO Joan Raventós added: “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.”

In August Samsung announced it committed to a KRW25 trillion ($22.3 billion) investment over three years in areas including AI and 5G, which it hopes will drive its future growth. The company said the sum is part of a total planned investment of KRW180 trillion, which marks a 6 per cent increase in its spending over the last three years.