According to media reports, telecommunication company, Ericsson is suing Apple again over a 5G wireless patent fee dispute. Ericsson disclosed to the media that because the previous agreement has expired, it cannot reach an agreement on the terms and scope of the new patent license. This means that Apple is now using Ericsson’s technology without a license. Ericsson has now made clear the royalty rate it wants to charge in a recent filing. The filing shows that Ericsson is willing to continue to offer Apple the published 5G multimode rate of $5 per phone (an early sign-up discount).
However, Apple believes that after acquiring Intel’s smartphone modem business, it has a share of the 5G patent family that is equal to Ericsson’s. Thus, Apple believes it should pay the Swedish telecom company less patent fees relative to 2015. Nevertheless, the Swedish telecom company has a different view.
In 2021, after Ericsson and Apple failed to renew the telecommunications patent license contract negotiations, the two companies sued each other. However, after a long period of negotiations, the two companies have not yet reached any patent license (covering 5G). The Swedish company sued Apple in October 2021, claiming that Apple unfairly tried to reduce patent rates. Apple countersued Ericsson, accusing it of using “tough tactics” when updating patents.
Ericsson has won 170 5G commercial contracts
According to Ericsson’s official website, the company currently has 170 5G commercial contracts. As of now, Ericsson 88 publicly announced 5G contracts. In addition, it provides equipment for over 108 already operational 5G commercial networks in 48 countries.
The 88 publicly available 5G commercial contracts are displayed on Ericsson’s official website. The 108 officially operational 5G commercial networks that use its 5G network equipment include China Mobile, China Telecom, as well as China Unicom. Also, Ericsson’s 5G equipment has joined hands with many leading operators around the world to achieve the first commercial launch of 5G on 4 continents. Since 2015, Ericsson has shipped more than 5 million 5G-ready RF units.
The company said
“We’re proud to say that communication service providers all around the world have chosen to deploy 5G using our leading network technology. Our list of commercial agreements and contracts with unique operators is growing rapidly”.
Looking at the 108 live 5G commercial networks, here is how it spread worldwide
- Latin America: 5 live 5G network in 2 countries
- Central & Eastern Europe: 19 live 5G networks in 10 countries
- North-East Asia: 12 live 5G networks in 3 countries
- North America: 10 live 5G networks in 2 countries
- Western Europe: 43 live 5G networks in 18 countries
- Middle East & Africa: 12 live 5G networks in 8 countries
- Southeast Asia, Oceania & India: 7 live 5G networks in 5 countries
