Huawei, Qualcomm Announce Multi-Year Patent Licensing Agreement Covering 5G, AI and More

Huawei and Qualcomm announced a new multi-year patent licensing agreement on Monday, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals. The partnership covers several technology areas, including 5G, computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and networking. Following the agreement, the companies will take advantage of cross-licensing of Huawei and Qualcomm's respective patent portfolios. Further, the US-based chipmaker will also acquire certain Huawei patents registered in the US. Huawei highlighted its contributions in 4G and 5G standards, while Qualcomm pointed to its foundational wireless technologies and 5G licensing programme.

Huawei, Qualcomm Agree to Cross-License Patents

In an article posted on X, Huawei and Qualcomm said that the multi-year agreement will allow both companies to cross-license patents across 5G, compute, AI and networking technologies. Apart from this, Qualcomm will also purchase certain Huawei patents registered in the US, covering the aforementioned domains. However, the companies have not disclosed the specific patents involved or the financial terms of the transaction.

The companies emphasised that the agreement reflects their commitment to intellectual property rights and licensing practices based on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) principles issued by the Standard-Setting Organisations (SSOs).

Following the agreement, Alan Fan, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Huawei, highlighted that the company's long-term investment in fundamental research and development has contributed to advances in mobile communications and other technology areas. The executive also emphasised Huawei's contributions to 4G and 5G standards, specifically polar-code-based signal transmission technology.

It is, notably, a forward error correction (FEC) scheme that permits transmission of digital data through noisy air or cables without any errors.

Qualcomm, meanwhile, highlighted its foundational wireless technology investments. The company said that it has supported successive generations of mobile communications. Commenting on the multi-year partnership, John Han, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said, “This agreement likewise reflects Qualcomm's recognition of Huawei's continued innovation and intellectual property in 5G and other technology fields.”

Both companies added that the transaction will be completed after the required regulatory approvals are received.

The agreement will allow both Huawei and Qualcomm to cross-license patents across 5G, compute, AI, and networking technologies.