Nokia has been busy securing 5G patent deals with various smartphone vendors in the past year. The company has successfully persuaded Oppo, a Chinese smartphone maker, to pay for using its patented technology, rather than infringing on it.
Now, Nokia has announced another 5G patent deal with vivo, another Chinese smartphone maker, which will allow both parties to cross-license each other’s fundamental inventions in cellular technologies. This deal is especially beneficial for vivo, as it will enable it to resume its operations in the German market, where it was previously banned due to a patent dispute with Nokia.
The deal also puts an end to all ongoing patent litigations between Nokia and vivo in all jurisdictions, according to the announcement. However, the exact terms of the deal, such as the royalty payments and the duration of the agreement, are kept confidential by mutual consent.
This deal marks the completion of Nokia’s smartphone license renewal cycle, which started in January 2023. Since then, Nokia has signed six major smartphone patent license agreements with Samsung, Honor, Huawei, Oppo, Apple, and vivo. These agreements reflect Nokia’s significant role in developing key technologies that are essential for the entire smartphone industry, and they will also provide long-term financial stability to Nokia’s licensing business.
Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said: “This is the sixth major smartphone patent license agreement we have signed in the past thirteen months, and we have now almost completed our smartphone license renewal cycle. Together these licensing agreements demonstrate Nokia’s significant contribution to developing key technologies relied upon by the entire smartphone industry and they will provide long-term stability to our licensing business for years to come.”
Nokia’s licensing business is expected to generate around €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) in the mid-term, which is a modest amount compared to the €150 billion that the company has invested in R&D since 2000. Nokia’s patent portfolio consists of around 20,000 patent families, including over 6,000 patent families that are declared essential to 5G.
Nokia’s 5G patent deals are not only beneficial for the company, but also for the consumers, as they will enable more smartphone vendors to offer 5G-enabled devices at affordable prices. According to a recent report by [Counterpoint Research], 5G smartphone shipments are expected to grow by 34% in 2024, reaching 538 million units. China, the US, and Europe are the leading markets for 5G smartphones, with vivo being one of the top five 5G smartphone vendors in the world.
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