SEP owners in the driving seat

It's been a big month for the future of SEP licensing, and it comes on the cusp of the 5G era. Rory O'Neill reports.

There have been many important milestones in the development of 5G, the next generation of cellular technology tipped to revolutionise new areas of the economy and bring them into the hyper-connected, digital age.

The first 5G-enabled smartphones are already on the market, albeit with limited 5G network coverage. There is also fierce debate over who should provide the infrastructure that underpins it all, with the UK following the US’s lead in shutting out market leader Huawei.

Less likely to generate headlines are the mechanisms by which the patents essential to 5G will be licensed. But the manner in which 5G is made available through the underlying IP will be key to the rollout of the technology.