Finnish telecommunications gear vendor Nokia announced today that it has reached the milestone of 7,000 patent families declared essential to 5G. These patents include innovations in 5G radio protocols, security, and interface technologies that define how smartphones, connected cars, and other connected devices interact with 5G networks, according to Nokia.
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Nokia's 5G Patent Milestone
The Acting President of Nokia Technologies, said: "We have now reached the landmark of 7,000 high-quality patent families declared as essential to the 5G standard and Nokia's active pre-standardization work puts us in a leading position for 6G standardization which begins later this year."
Licensing Agreements with 250+ Companies
Nokia said its patent portfolio is built on more than EUR 150 billion invested in R&D and standardization since 2000 and is composed of over 20,000 patent families (each family can comprise several individual patents). Any device that connects to a cellular network uses Nokia’s patented technology and over 250 companies have secured a license to Nokia's patented technologies.
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Focus on 6G Standardization
Furthermore, Nokia emphasised its contributions to open standards, offered under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms, enable companies to adopt these technologies without significant R&D investments.
According to the official release, the company's focus now extends to 6G standardization, set to begin this year.