Nokia, Samsung sign 5G patent deal

Nokia announced today that it has signed a new cross-licensing agreement with Samsung that covers Nokia’s fundamental inventions in 5G and other technologies.

Samsung will make royalty payments to Nokia for a multi-year period, according to a statement by Nokia. The agreement follows a previous pact that expired at the end of 2022. Terms of the agreement are confidential, Nokia said.

“Samsung is a leader in the smartphone industry, and we are delighted to have reached an amicable agreement with them,” said Nokia Technologies President Jenni Lukander in a press release. “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.”

Nokia, which reports fourth quarter and full-year 2022 earnings on Thursday, said the agreement is consistent with the assumptions that the company disclosed in its last quarterly outlook report. Patents became a more important part of Nokia’s business after it sold its handset division. In 2021, Nokia announced that it had become one of the first companies to achieve ISO 9001 certification for its patent portfolio management.

Nokia currently claims a portfolio of about 20,000 patent families, with 4,500 declared essential to 5G.