
5G standard
Innovations for your next generation network and services
Nokia has an industry-leading portfolio of cellular Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), comprising of over 4,500 patent families declared as essential to 5G with more to follow. Our leadership in 5G patents has been confirmed by various independent studies.
Some of our patented innovations are so fundamental that they cut across multiple generations of communications – from 2G to 5G – and define the way we all communicate today.
We continue to invest heavily in research and development together with Nokia Bell Labs.
Our work in 5G standardization
We have been heavily involved in 5G standardization since work on 5G standards began in 2012. We are one of the leading contributors to 5G, and we focus on making technical contributions where relevant. Our processes are driven by the need to develop solid solutions that are implementation-friendly and match the needs of the industry.
This approach has led to Nokia being a valued member of many Standard Developing Organizations (SDOs), including 3GPP, the primary SDO for 5G standardization work. We drive the standardization of many of the fundamental technologies of 5G wireless communication.
We participate and actively contribute to all 3GPP 5G Working Groups, in which the most important 5G standards are being developed. Many Nokia employees hold positions of trust within 3GPP, such as chairmanship positions in important working groups.
Discover our 5G technology patent portfolio
Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs have contributed key technologies to enable 5G, including those shown below.

LTE-NR Dual Connectivity
This is the core technology of non-standalone (NSA) 5G. It accelerates 5G roll-out and provides resilient connectivity as users roam between overlapping coverage areas.

5G radio stack design
This allows the maximum reuse of 4G silicon, low implementation complexity, and minimal draw on handset battery lifetimes.

LDPC channel coding
Our inventions in low density parity check (LDPC) coding enable power-efficient multi-gigabit per second transport with low complexity implementations.

Power saving
Patented inventions by Nokia enhance battery life in the 5G network. These inventions include DRX (Discontinuous Reception) to better align sleep/wake cycles with diverse use cases.

Enhanced Voice Service (EVS)
This new audio codec enhances the audio quality compared to earlier AMR-wideband technology, offering up to 20kHz audio bandwidth. It has high robustness to delay, jitter, and packet loss.

Massive MIMO beam management
Nokia Bell Labs innovations for a flexible sector-less approach yield optimal capacity and maximum mobility, for a wide variety of deployment scenarios.
Nokia innovation is powering 5G today
Nokia is leading the way in enabling 5G services, with extensive commercial 5G engagements and many 5G networks already live using Nokia technologies. As 5G matures, our 5G technology patent portfolio will enable a wide range of use cases, including immersive experiences connected vehicles and cloud robotics.
Build on our 5G patents
Our 5G technology patent portfolio is available for licensing, according to our licensing terms. Please contact us to find out more and discuss licensing Nokia 5G patents for your devices.