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KPN, Ericsson, Qualcomm, ZTE, InterDigital to provide access to their standard-essential patents via Avanci’s single licence.
A new wireless patent-licensing platform backed by KPN, Ericsson, Qualcomm, ZTE, and InterDigital launched this week, pledging to make it much easier for IoT companies to embed cellular technology into their connected devices.
Called Avanci, it enables device makers to pay a flat rate to access – via a single licence – every standard-essential wireless patent owned by the aforementioned companies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.
"With Avanci, something that would require time and resources to negotiate with many technology holders can now be done in one place, with one license, allowing IoT manufacturing companies access to the most advanced wireless technology in the world while they focus on bringing new products to the market," said Kasim Alfalahi, founder and CEO of Avanci, in a statement on Wednesday.
Avanci will focus initially on licensing 2G, 3G, and 4G cellular technologies specifically for connected cars and smart meters, followed by other IoT product areas.
"The number of companies incorporating connectivity in their business models is rapidly increasing. By having efficient access to essential wireless technology and leveraging the global network, these companies can reduce time to market and reach scale faster," said Ericsson’s chief intellectual property officer Gustav Brismark.
"Avanci’s licensing platform enables the adoption of our essential wireless technology among IoT device manufacturers, accelerates the development of the Internet of Things and the global uptake of LTE for IoT," he said.
