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Huawei and Qualcomm Reach Multi-Year Patent Licensing Agreement Covering 5G, Computing, AI and Networking
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- DeepHorus
Huawei and Qualcomm recently announced that they had entered into a multi-year patent licensing agreement covering multiple technology fields, including 5G, computing, artificial intelligence and networking. According to the companiesâ joint announcement, the agreement includes cross-licensing of patent portfolios covering the relevant technology fields, as well as Qualcommâs purchase of certain U.S. patents held by Huawei in computing, AI, networking and other technology areas. This is the first 5G patent licensing agreement signed by the two companies, as well as the first "revenue-positive" agreement between Huawei and Qualcomm.
Huawei and Qualcomm had previously engaged in patent licensing arrangements. In 2020, the two companies resolved a patent dispute, with Huawei agreeing to pay Qualcomm US$1.8 billion in historical licensing fees. The new agreement includes arrangements under which Qualcomm will pay licensing fees to Huawei and purchase patents from Huawei. The relevant transactions will be completed after obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. According to the South China Morning Post, Huawei said the transaction does not involve any other business cooperation, and the transaction value was not disclosed.
Qualcomm Executive Vice President and General Manager of its technology licensing business, John Han, said the agreement reflects Qualcommâs recognition of Huaweiâs continued innovation and intellectual property achievements in 5G and other technology fields. He pointed out that Qualcomm continues to invest in foundational wireless technology research and development and drives the generational evolution of mobile communications technologies. He added that the agreement once again reaffirms the industryâs recognition of Qualcommâs leadership in 5G technology and of its licensing program for 5G standard-essential patents. Huawei Chief Intellectual Property Officer Fan Zhiyong said that Huawei has continued to invest in foundational research and development for decades, driving innovation and progress in mobile communications and other technology fields.
Fan Zhiyong also noted that Huawei has made extensive contributions to the 4G and 5G standards, including the use of polarization codes and signal transmission technologies that approach physical limits. He said the agreement demonstrates the value of Huaweiâs innovations and also recognizes Qualcommâs foundational contributions to modern communications technologies. The companiesâ joint announcement also emphasized that the agreement reflects their shared commitment to intellectual property and their position that patent licensing should be conducted in accordance with the fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) principles.
Huawei has continued to earn returns on its research and development investments through patent licensing in recent years. From 2007 through the end of 2025, the company had invested more than RMB 1.8 trillion in cumulative research and development. Following this signing, the total value of the patent licensing agreements obtained by Huawei exceeded US$6.9 billion. This figure represents the total value of the patent licensing agreements cited by Huawei and is not the value of the current transaction with Qualcomm. As of the end of 2025, Huawei held more than 165,000 valid granted patents worldwide, more than 90 percent of which were invention patents. It had also obtained more than 30,000 granted patents in the United States.
Huawei has signed more than 270 patent licensing agreements with major information and communications technology companies in regions including the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea. As of the end of 2025, 53 Fortune Global 500 companies had obtained licenses from Huawei directly or indirectly, and more than 3.2 billion 5G devices had received authorization under Huawei patents. Huawei had previously reached patent licensing agreements with companies including Amazon, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi.
As 5G and subsequent technologies continue to evolve, intellectual property licensing will remain an important channel through which Huawei earns returns on its research and development investments. The conclusion of this agreement also reflects a broader trend toward cooperation among global technology companies in the field of patent licensing. The two companiesâ cooperation under the FRAND principles provides the industry with a positive example.
