Innovation leadership drives Nokia’s patent licensing progress in 2026
I am incredibly proud of the fact that Nokia’s fundamental inventions are implemented into billions of new devices each year. These innovations power the connectivity and multimedia technologies that people and businesses rely on every day — from smartphones and consumer electronics to automotive, IoT and video streaming — enabling our partners to bring better products and richer experiences to their users around the world. As we approach the mid-point of the year, I would like to share a short update on the progress we are making with sharing our innovation through patent licensing.
In summary, it has been a busy and productive year so far with deals across our licensing programs, including a new patent license agreement with a mobile device vendor, reflecting our continued focus on licensing the remaining addressable market and highlighting once again that Nokia’s patented technologies are highly relevant to device makers and service providers.
Automotive
We continue to make positive progress in the automotive sector, where Nokia’s wireless technologies are the backbone of many in-car services, delivering a safer and more enjoyable driving experience. We already have agreements in place with almost every major Western automaker and are seeing increased respect shown by Chinese automakers for our intellectual property rights. In January we revealed that Nokia has signed a new bilateral patent license agreement with a leading Chinese automaker. The agreement covers the use of Nokia’s cellular technologies from 2G to 5G, as well as our essential Wi-Fi technologies, in their connected vehicles. In total, 12 Chinese automakers now have a license to Nokia’s technology, either through bilateral agreements or via the Avanci pool. Most recently we successfully settled our dispute with Geely. I would like to again extend my gratitude to our Chinese automotive licensees for their professionalism and constructive spirit during our negotiations.
Consumer Electronics
Our leadership in wireless and multimedia technologies continues to drive successful partnerships in the consumer electronics space. We have signed a license agreement with TV maker Hisense, covering the use of Nokia’s video technologies in Hisense’s televisions. This is Nokia’s first patent license agreement with Hisense. In addition, we have concluded deals with other TV makers and consumer electronics makers this year. And we remain confident about our position in our on-going litigation campaign against Acer and Asus. UPDATE: I am pleased to say that Nokia and Acer have signed a patent license agreement covering the use of Nokia’s video coding technologies in Acer’s devices and agreed to enter into binding arbitration to determine certain terms of the agreement. Related patent litigations between the two companies will be paused or withdrawn. We look forward to the outcome of the arbitration.
IoT
Nokia’s commitment to licensing our technology on fair and reasonable terms is crucial to fostering innovation across the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Our IoT licensing team has successfully opened up a new vertical by signing patent license agreements with ADT and two other leading residential security system providers. These agreements underpin the technologies found in today’s residential security systems, enabling robust performance and advanced features. Beyond security systems, work also continues to expand our licensing coverage in other IoT device verticals. For example, we signed an agreement with an elevator manufacturer covering the use of our connectivity technologies in their elevator cars, which enables remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and incident response communication. This follows agreements with other elevator companies.
Video Services
Nokia has played a pivotal role in the development of video coding and encoding, content delivery, and other multimedia technologies, enhancing user experiences across digital platforms. And we continue to lead the way in video streaming licensing. So far, we have signed bilateral license agreements with seven video streaming companies, and we look forward to the rate setting trial in the UK later this year which will set a global license for both Warner Bros’ and Paramount’s streaming services. We are confident the UK court will endorse Nokia’s valuation. In addition to all of this, the team has successfully opened up the social messaging vertical with a license agreement with a social messaging company, as well as an agreement with Snap Inc., the owner of Snapchat.
Nokia’s continued technology leadership
Our licensing success stems directly from Nokia’s commitment to technology leadership, significant R&I investments, and contributions to standardization. With almost €160 billion invested in R&D since 2000, we have built an industry-leading portfolio of inventions, including standard essential patents (SEPs) and non-SEPs. This portfolio, covering fundamental technologies across cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi, video coding, and more, underpins the technologies found in today’s connected devices and services.
Leading the evolution of wireless and multimedia standards
Nokia’s experts continue to shape the future of wireless and multimedia technology through contributions to global standardization bodies.
In 3GPP, the industry is moving closer to the first full release of 6G specifications, now targeted for functional freeze in December 2028. Foundational agreements are being made to ensure that 6G will deliver high-performing, service-aware, AI-native networking, supporting channel bandwidths up to 400 MHz and a smooth migration pathway from 5G via Multi-Radio Spectrum Sharing (MRSS).
In multimedia, Nokia was recognized as the most active contributor in JVET, helping drive next-generation video compression, while also leading MPEG work on Gaussian Splat Coding to make immersive 3D and volumetric video more practical across devices. Nokia is also contributing to 3GPP Rel-20 to support efficient delivery of AI-powered features in everyday mobile communications.
In Wi-Fi, Nokia is helping shape early industry discussions on Wi-Fi 9 by setting out a vision for wireless connectivity that supports more immersive, real-time and AI-driven digital experiences. The focus is on real-world performance, including predictable low-latency, reliable connectivity in dense environments, improved energy efficiency, and a complementary role alongside future 6G networks in the broader wireless ecosystem.
These contributions reinforce Nokia’s role in driving technological progress and ensuring interoperability and reliability across devices and systems.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to advance connectivity and innovation across industries.
