Nokia Announces Over 3,000 5G Patent Declarations

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  • It has invested approximately €4.4 billion in R&D expenses last year
  • The portfolio of Nokia cellular standard-essential patents (SEPs) declared to one or more of the 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G standards extends to more than 3,400 patent families

Nokia today announced that it has declared more than 3,000 patent families to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as essential for the 5G standard. Nokia said that it has played a leading role in pioneering key technologies for 5G. It has worked with the 3GPP organisation to establish 5G standards and enabled the rollout of 5G networks. 3GPP is a partnership of seven standards development organizations including ETSI

Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies, said, “I am thrilled that our R&D efforts are creating new opportunities for the consumer and industrial technology ecosystem, as the 5G era gathers momentum. As an inventor for the long-term, Nokia is able to innovate for a 5G future because of the fair reward we earn through licensing the standardized technologies created from our extensive R&D investments. This virtuous cycle creates vast new potential in 5G technologies, and I am excited for the possibilities ahead.”

Nokia said that its contributions to innovation and standardisation have been possible due to investment of over €129 billion. It has invested approximately €4.4 billion in R&D expenses last year. The portfolio of Nokia cellular standard-essential patents (SEPs) declared to one or more of the 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G standards extend to more than 3,400 patent families. Out of this, more than 3,000 are relevant to 5G standards. Nokia Bell Labs produces the majority of these SEPs, and Nokia Technologies business manages and licenses the patent portfolio.

Standardisation process managed by 3GPP

The 5G standardisation process is managed by 3GPP. The technical specifications for 5G communications within 3GPP are developed collaboratively by selecting the best technologies from those contributed by a range of innovators.

Marcus Weldon, Nokia chief technology officer and president of Nokia Bell Labs, said, “Nokia has defined many of the fundamental technologies used in virtually all mobile devices and digital systems and networks, and these inventions are critical to the new Industrial Internet of Things era. We standardize these inventions to allow widespread utilization and adoption. The benefits of 5G are initially in massive amounts of new capacity for consumers, but as the new technology and network architecture develops, it will enable new applications for enterprises and industrial businesses, with end-to-end 5G networks forming the critical fabric for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with Nokia Bell Labs once again at the heart of this revolution.”