Nokia holds over 2000 patents essential for the 5G network
Nokia started developing 5G technology early in the process of creation of new networking standard. That effort resulted in more than 2000 patents applied at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) that are essential for the 5G networks to run.
The process of having your patents declared essential for some networking standard isn’t simple. The 5G standardization was managed by 3GPP, which is a partnership of seven standards development organizations, including ETSI. 3GPP developed the technical specification for 5G by selecting the best technologies from many developers, and Nokia is among them. With standards being set, manufacturers can make products that can work interoperably with other products.
Most of the essential patents came from various divisions in Nokia, but some came from the Nokia Bell Labs, which is pushing the limits on the transmission of the data over light.
Nokia was working closely with 3GPP on the first set of 5G global standards with 3GPP Release 15 and is now working on the next set of standards for the upcoming Release 16.
So, when you get your first 5G phone and ask how is this tech working, know that Nokia and many others helped make it possible by considerable R&D investments.
