Nokia, NSN, Huawei sign patent cross-licensing deal
HELSINKI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Nokia (NOK1V.HE) and its telecom equipment making venture Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) have signed a cross-licensing agreement with China's Huawei [HWT.UL] covering essential patents for wireless standards, Nokia said on Monday.
"The comprehensive agreement covers the worldwide use of all standards-essential patents of all parties," the world's top mobile phone maker Nokia said in a statement.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Nokia said the agreement, which makes Huawei the 35th company to licence Nokia patents, covers all key technologies, including GSM and WCDMA, but also China's own TD-SCDMA.
The cross-licensing deal gives Huawei access to Nokia's wide patent portfolio in standards like GSM and WCDMA, widely adopted around the world, while it also gives Nokia access to Huawei's patents, including those essential to China's own 3G.
An essential patent is a patent which discloses and claims one or more inventions that are required to use a given industry standard.
Huawei has this year bypassed Nortel Networks NT.TO and Motorola (MOT.N), to take fourth spot on the wireless telecom gear market -- behind Ericsson (ERICb.ST), Nokia Siemens [NSN.UL] and Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA). (Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Aaron Gray-Block)
