\tEricsson defended its patent licensing practices after Chinese authorities launched an investigation following complaints from unnamed sources.<\/p>\n
In a statement to Mobile World Live, an Ericsson representative confirmed China\u2019s State Administration for Market Regulation formally initiated a probe, and said the company is \u201cfully cooperating with the investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n
The representative added Ericsson has \u201calways been committed\u201d to licensing its technology on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, but declined to comment further on the investigation.<\/p>\n
Chinese officials raided Ericsson\u2019s office in Beijing on 12 April, The Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\n
The country is Ericsson\u2019s second largest market in terms of sales behind the US, accounting for 7 per cent of net sales in 2018.<\/p>\n
Ericsson isn\u2019t the first technology vendor to face scrutiny for its licensing practices in China. In 2015, Qualcomm agreed to pay $975 million in fines [1] and reduce the amount of royalties it charges, after China\u2019s National Development and Reform Commission found it had violated the country\u2019s anti-monopoly law.<\/p>\n
However, the Ericsson probe comes as countries around the globe engage in a heated race [2] to be the first to reap the benefits of 5G. Ericsson is a major supplier of 5G-enabled equipment and technology, going head-to-head with Huawei, Nokia and, increasingly, Samsung [3].<\/p>\n
Ericsson has been trialling 5G network technology with Chinese operators and in February inked a 5G patent licensing deal [4] with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo.<\/p>\n
GSMA Intelligence noted China\u2019s 5G strategy is backed by a series of government policies and initiatives, including a Made in China 2025 plan and the country\u2019s 13th Five Year Plan, which calls for the launch of commercial 5G service by 2020.<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/asia\/asia-news\/qualcomm-fined-975b-agrees-lower-royalties-china\/
\n[2] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/featured-content\/top-three\/us-catches-china-in-race-to-5g\/
\n[3] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/asia\/asia-news\/samsung-dominates-korea-5g-deployments\/
\n[4] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/devices\/news-devices\/oppo-ericsson-agree-patent-deal\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ericsson defended its patent licensing practices after Chinese authorities launched an investigation following complaints from …<\/p>\n
The post China probes Ericsson patent terms<\/a> appeared first on Mobile World Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n