Samsung, the biggest smartphone brand in the world, has signed a multi-year 5G patent agreement with Nokia. As a part of this long-term agreement, the South Korean firm will use Nokia's fundamental inventions in 5G and other technologies in its smartphones and other mobile devices.
Samsung Electronics will make royalty payments to Nokia for its 5G patents, starting from January 1, 2023. This isn't the first time the two companies have agreed on such a patent licensing deal. Samsung and Nokia had a similar agreement back in 2016, and the deal expired in 2022. Hence, the companies have renewed and expanded the cross-licensing deal.
Neither company has revealed the terms of the agreement or the list of patents that the deal is about. Nokia is a force to reckon with in the 5G connectivity space, and it has over 20,000 patent families, with 4,500 of them deemed essential to 5G. The communications giant has spent over €130 billion in research and development since the year 2000.
Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said, “Samsung is a leader in the smartphone industry, and we are delighted to have reached an amicable agreement with them. The agreement gives both companies the freedom to innovate and reflects the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies.“
