Home › DMW Daily › May 29,2007

Nokia says 3G Adoption Rate to suffer from Patent Battle with Qualcomm

Authored by dmw on May 29, 2007 - 11:58am.
Nokia said on Tuesday that its patent battle with Qualcomm Inc. may be problematic for the uptake of third-generation (3G) mobile technology, Reuters reported.  Nokia’s 3G mobile phone service is focused on higher-end models, Chief Technology Officer Tero Ojanpera said, a departure from smaller rivals to lower device costs for the high-speed wireless service.

 

Nokia, the maker of more than one in three cell phones sold globally, is involved in a legal dispute over patents with U.S. mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm Inc. following the expiration of a cross-licensing agreement last month. The battle centers on Nokia's use of Qualcomm patents for 3G, but also has an effect on Qualcomm's chips business, which Nokia says uses many of its patented technologies. Nokia filed its first patent counter-suit against Qualcomm last week, seeking damages and an injunction against Qualcomm chips. Analysts estimate Nokia has paid Qualcomm around $500 million per year and now aims to get a better deal.

"We are in negotiations but there's no agreement," Ojanpera told a news conference at the Seoul Digital Forum event.  "This whole discussion might have an impact on 3G technology," he said, adding alternative technologies such as mobile WiMax were gaining momentum due to uncertainties surrounding the licenses. Mobile operators are shifting from voice-centric 2G services to 3G or its alternatives to offer more lucrative services such as video calls, music downloads and Internet over cell phones. Related Stories:
Nokia says row with Qualcomm may hurt 3G uptake (Reuters)

Published in DMW Daily, May 29,2007
tags: Mobile | Law | Qualcomm | Nokia | Cell Phones |

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