Licensor Spotlight: Driving 5G transformation, China Mobile seizes new opportunities through innovation

As part of a series of articles, we spotlight the innovation of another of the patent owners in our independent Avanci marketplace, China Mobile. This has been translated and adapted from an original article published by Huanqiu.com in China.

At the forefront of developing 5G technology and industry, China Mobile has been busy building and operating 5G communications networks, creating a new information infrastructure underpinned by 5G, Compute-First Networking (CFN) and Smart Mid-end Platform, with the aim of building a new information service system featuring Connectivity + Computing power + Ability.

To scale up 5G private networks and advance industrial digitalization, China Mobile was the first in the industry to release 5G Private Network Technology System 2.0. Additionally, it enhanced the network’s capabilities by leveraging 5G LAN and TSN, and improved access control capabilities by utilizing NPN and Secondary Authentication. It has also strengthened its service carrying capacity and expanded its 5G private network capabilities.

Huanqiu’s reporter spoke to Li Nan and Hu Nan, deputy heads of the China Mobile Research Institute’s Department of Wireless and Terminal Technology. Li and Hu shared their insights on the development of 5G technology and their experience of technological innovation.

Li-Nan
Li Nan
A culture of innovation is an important driver that leads to multiple patents and standards

“Since joining the China Mobile Research Institute in 2007 after graduating, I have been engaged in research on and the international standardization of 4G, 5G and NB-IoT. I’ve also participated in the research of 6G technology. Now, I am working on technology research, standardization and industrialization in the field of wireless cloud networks,” Li Nan said.

Li finds his research motivation in China Mobile’s corporate culture, which champions responsibility and excellence, as well as its mission of Creating an Infinite Communications World and Becoming the Pillar of the Information Society. It’s what drives him to explore cutting-edge communications technology. After joining China Mobile, Li was excited to be engaged in standardization work. As one of the first representatives of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standards development organization, Li took part in formulating TD-LTE and 5G standards and the R&D of international standard-essential patents. His participation enabled him and his team to work with the best researchers in the industry, and to witness first-hand the application of their self-developed solutions and standards in products and networks. These valuable experiences helped them create and deliver value, and also serve as a source of inspiration for him and his team.

“I have spent over 10 years working on forward-looking wireless technology research and standardization since joining the company in 2008. In this period, I have been involved in the formulation of 4G- and 5G-related standards and the development of patents and international standard-essential patents,” Hu Nan said.

“Innovation is in our DNA. We are keenly aware of the importance of innovation for our development, and even for the whole industry’s growth. For example, when working on a carrier aggregation project, we recognized that being independent in terms of carrier aggregation is essential for LTE and 5G NR—it took us over five years to finish the overall closed-loop R&D from technology R&D and test verification to the launch of international standards and commercial application on a larger scale. During this period, my team encountered various setbacks, but the entire project’s deliverables were completed. This accomplishment is inseparable from China Mobile’s emphasis on standardization and continuous input. More importantly, these patents can help the communications industry develop sustainably prosperously,” Hu added.

Hu-Nan
Hu Nan

With V2X and IoT development speeding up, 5G is driving the continuous transformation of related industries

When asked by the reporter about 5G’s development trend and the application of 5G technology in the fields of V2X and IoT, Li said that V2X and IoT represent the most cutting-edge and widespread industry applications when it comes to 5G application scenarios. He believes that as the technology matures and costs decrease, 5G, a vital technology in a connected world, will grow explosively.

The general nodes of IoT are powered by traditional 2G and 4G technologies. For power-line inspections and other industrial scenarios, which require excellent latency and reliability, and industry application scenarios such as high-rate uplink transmission, 5G is the optimal choice, pointing to the technology’s tremendous market potential. In addition, as 5G technology continues to evolve and mature, it will also become commonplace in smart wearables and other IoT applications.

With the Internet of Vehicles, the application of 5G technology to autonomous driving will transform people’s mobility experiences. Autonomous driving is also bound to create new safety, reliability, latency and group communications requirements. The combination of 5G and positioning technologies such as BeiDou and GPS, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle sensor interoperability technology, could serve as the foundation that underpins autonomous driving, thus further enhancing safety and efficiency.

Li also believes that ever-maturing autonomous driving technology will in the future free drivers’ hands and help to create new in-car entertainment scenarios, leading to new business, which will in turn create new 5G application scenarios and markets.

Avanci partnership enables technology inventions to empower global markets

In January 2019, China Mobile joined one-stop licensing platform Avanci, where it can license its global patent portfolio of 2G, 3G and 4G standard-essential patents in the IoT market. Speaking on China Mobile’s partnership with Avanci, Hu said that Avanci enabled IoT industry players to access the vast majority of wireless communications standard patents through a single agreement, thereby contributing to the rapid application of wireless communications technologies.

In the past three years of cooperating with Avanci, China Mobile has gained a platform to promote its patented technologies globally and also placed a greater emphasis on its own R&D, allowing it to share its scientific and technological innovations with global industry partners. More than 40 world-renowned automotive brands now license China Mobile’s wireless communications technologies through Avanci, covering more than 65 million licensed connected cars on the road around the world.*

“The partnership with Avanci is a new initiative for China Mobile to explore IoT patent licensing rules and models. China Mobile joined forces with Avanci with the intention of helping the IoT industry reduce patent litigation risks, eliminate barriers, promote synergies between the IoT industry and wireless communications technologies, and drive high-quality development,” concludes Hu.

* Updated numbers since the original article was published

Licensor Spotlight: Panasonic innovates to enable Society 5.0 and a connected future

In 2017, Panasonic was among the first patent owners to join the Avanci marketplace. A long-time leader in technology research and development, Panasonic has been involved in standardization in the communications arena since the formation of the 3GPP, and its engineers have participated in thousands of 3G, 4G and 5G standardization meetings across the globe.

We recently spoke to two Panasonic experts involved in developing technologies which are licensed through Avanci, to understand their personal stories as researchers and inventors.

Akihiko Nishio has had a 22-year career in Panasonic. He worked initially on 3G modem development, moving in 2003 to focus on research and standardization work for LTE and LTE-A. He then spent several years in a business division, developing smart home systems, using knowledge and experience from his work on cellular standardization.

In 2019, Nishio-san returned to the corporate R&D team to work on 3GPP standardization now for 5G, also working on 5G enhancements for non-terrestrial networks using satellite communications, more recently becoming project leader for technologies beyond 5G, including 6G. To date, he has been the first named inventor on more than 600 granted patents.

Ayako Iwata joined Panasonic in 2003. Her research in communications began as a student, when she did laboratory work with a researcher from a mobile communications firm, which motivated her to change track from her initial interest in fiber communications.

At Panasonic, Iwata-san is involved in 3GPP standardization, and since 2008 has been actively involved in the RAN1 working group, which is responsible for the development of specifications dealing with LTE-Advanced, 5G NR, and beyond. Her research in 3GPP began with Relay in Release 10, a feature based on both base station and user equipment. She was involved in research on control channel technologies for LTE Advanced and 5G, winning an award from Japan’s Technical Committee on Radio Communications Systems (RCS) in 2009. She is currently researching 5G technologies including Sidelink, a part of vehicle to everything (V2X) communications which will be important for connected vehicles and other IoT devices.  She is named as first inventor on over 300 patents and patent applications.

For both inventors, the motivation to choose a career in communications research came from their university studies, where they spent time in the laboratory investigating elements of communication. They both joined Panasonic to be able to continue to research in this area, at a company that led the Japanese market both for mobile phones and network infrastructure and was contributing to the development of international communications standards.

Both have been active in the work of 3GPP in developing technology standards and have experienced the rigorous way in which each element of the standard is selected through submissions from delegates from various companies such as themselves which undergo thorough technical evaluation. Nishio-san remembers many discussions that went past midnight in the search for the best solution from many submissions, and both have experienced the excitement of having their own submissions selected by the expert working groups after months of effort. They feel proud to know that they have contributed to defining standards that are used in many different products from a wide range of companies around the world, helping to transform people’s day to day lives.

Their colleague Yoshinori Nakagawa from Panasonic’s intellectual property department outlined Panasonic’s reasons for joining the Avanci marketplace. As the company’s business evolved and they exited the handset market in 2013, a pivot to monetising IP in part through licensing was a way to continue to share Panasonic’s innovations and fund future R&D, leveraging their team of expert inventors.

Auto makers are important partners for Panasonic across their business, and so they wanted to expand their licensing activity in a way that auto makers felt they could benefit from. Panasonic believes that Avanci offers an efficient way for auto makers to license the technologies used in their connected vehicles, while offering a fair return for patent owners such as Panasonic.

Panasonic also believes that the Avanci marketplace also offers a way for auto makers to reduce the risk of litigation from patent owners, bringing together many patent owners under one license at a fixed royalty rate, ensuring a level playing field. In addition, they feel that the Avanci patent assessment process, which uses a global network of independent evaluators to ensure essentiality of submitted patents, is another strong feature of the Avanci marketplace, also benefiting their wider licensing efforts beyond automotive and IoT.

Looking to the future, the team sees plenty of opportunity for Panasonic research and development. They expect to continue as an active contributor to communications standards development for 5G and beyond. In video codecs, an important technology for a company with so many market-leading video products, they see continuing research in H.266/VVC as fundamental to achieving more efficiencies in streaming more video content of ever higher resolution. And for a company with many automotive partners, the development of autonomous driving technologies for self-driving vehicles will also be important.

All this builds towards the Japanese government’s vision of Society 5.0. This reflects an ambition for the connected society of 2030 and beyond. which balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems through a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space. Enabling this vision will be technologies including self-driving vehicles, industrial robotics, and smart surveillance cameras, all of which will rely on leveraging data gathered from images and the environment to automate many everyday tasks. Panasonic intends to be an active participant in the R&D needed to realise the vision of Society 5.0, using its valuable IP to help it and others to deliver on the vision.

In conclusion, we asked each inventor for their advice to any young person considering a possible career in science or research and development. Iwata-san would enthusiastically encourage them in such a path, from her own experience it can be a very satisfying career, leveraging an enquiring mind to identify a range of alternatives and then working to identify which is best for all parties, whether individual users or society as a whole. Nishio-san agreed; he believes that there is not always one right answer to a research problem, and that R&D is a great career option for anyone who enjoys thinking about possible solutions to problems and applying critical thinking skills.

Panasonic DigitalPanasonic Digital & AI Technology Center in Yokohama, Japan

From our fourth to fifth year, and from 4G to 5G

As we pass the fourth anniversary of announcing our first Avanci licensee, it seems appropriate to reflect on how much has changed, for Avanci and the auto industry, during the last four years.

We launched Avanci in September 2016, as an independent marketplace with a vision to transform how patent licensing is done. In previous roles and at other companies, our team had experienced the ‘smartphone wars’ and believed things should, and could, be different for the burgeoning Internet of Things industry. It was a lofty ideal, building a more efficient approach to licensing essential connectivity patents for an era which would see the convergence of several different industries, including automotive and telecommunications. But we also believed that we had the right team of experienced, industry professionals to make it happen, and were encouraged by feedback from patent owners and auto makers alike.

The inclusion of 4G connectivity to vehicles has benefitted both consumers and automakers. For the consumer, this incredible technology powers their vehicle’s infotainment and emergency call systems. For the vehicle maker, the technology enables wireless diagnostics, data collection, and over-the-air updates to the vehicle’s systems. Automakers can also offer a range of connected services which can enhance their customer experience while earning them incremental revenue. Connected vehicles are an undeniable win-win for consumers and OEMs and serve as the precursor to tomorrow’s autonomous vehicles.

All of these connected features are underpinned by communications standards such as 3G, 4G and soon, 5G. These open standards are the result of billions of dollars invested in research and development over many years by dozens of innovative companies, largely from the telecommunications sector. They contribute their inventions to the standardization process to enable the widespread adoption that we have already seen in the smartphone world. In return, they seek a fair return from companies which utilize those standards in their products and who reap further benefits from that groundbreaking R&D. Automakers and others have then been able to create their own innovations, leveraging the communications technologies but without having had to invest in the R&D to develop them.

When BMW became our first licensee in December 2016, we had 11 patent owners in the Avanci marketplace and we published our fixed licensing rates of $15 per car, a one time payment for the lifetime of the car, to cover all of the current and future  2/3/4G essential patents of all of the patent owners in the marketplace.

Since then, I’m pleased to say that much has changed for Avanci. We’ve grown to have 25 automotive brands under license for their connected vehicles, which include not just cars but trucks, buses and even construction equipment. Our original patent owners have expanded their portfolios, and more patent owners have joined our marketplace, which now spans 47 patent owners, collectively responsible for the vast majority of 2G, 3G and 4G essential patents.

But over those years, one thing has remained constant. The 4G licensing rate of $15 per vehicle, paid once for the lifetime of the vehicle. Avanci’s value proposition is as straightforward now as it was then, but arguably even more compelling. An independent, one-stop marketplace for standard essential 2G, 3G and 4G connected car patents from many of the world’s most innovative companies, made available efficiently under one license at a low, fixed prices. Already, automotive brands responsible for more than 25 million connected vehicles have taken an Avanci license, recognizing the value the technology brings and the efficiency and affordability of the Avanci model.

It’s important to note that the Avanci rate represents a market driven solution, the result of lengthy engagement between patent owners and auto makers when we established the marketplace. Unlike a traditional licensor-run pool which typically sets rates unilaterally, Avanci worked with both licensors and licensees to arrive at its rates. I suspect that if we asked some of our 47 licensors, they might say that $15 is a little too low, and perhaps some of our 25 licensed brands would say the price is a little high. But, having been involved in hundreds of deals and many mediations, I can tell you that when both sides acknowledge that compromises were indeed made, the sweet spot has been found.

We now stand on the brink of 5G in the auto industry, which will ensure that drivers will have an even safer and more enjoyable driving experience. For automakers, 5G will unlock new revenue streams, create a closer connection to their customers, and allow them to stay ahead of their competitors as the automotive industry increases its focus on mobility rather than machines. As we continue discussions with a range of parties and prepare to launch our next program, licensing 5G connectivity for connected vehicles, we’d encourage all parties to talk to us about our solutions.

Licensor Spotlight: CICT Mobile embraces 5G opportunities with innovation

In the first of a series of articles, we spotlight the innovation of one of the patent owners in our Avanci marketplace, Datang Mobile (a subsidiary of CICT Mobile). This has been translated and adapted from an original article published by Huanqiu.com in China.

Avanci platform licensor CICT Mobile (a subsidiary of CICT Group) is a key force for 5G technology and industry in China and has been engaged in 5G research since 2012. Working with a range of industrial partners, CICT Mobile has targeted 5G application in industries including media integration, smart education, smart tourism, intelligent security, intelligent connected vehicles, smart manufacturing, smart power, smart healthcare, smart cities and smart industrial parks, as well as customized end-to-end 5G solutions. The company also works with leaders in relevant vertical industries and telecom operators to promote the rollout of popular 5G applications.

In a recent interview with Chinese media Huanqiu.com, CICT Mobile scientists Gao Xuejuan and Xing Yanping shared their views on 5G innovation, how they have contributed to the development of the telecom industry and how the Avanci platform is supporting the innovation process.

According to Gao, her achievements at CICT Mobile are down to the company’s development philosophy of building a “wireless communications engine” and its corporate values of innovation, market, integrity and responsibility. “I have been at CICT Mobile for 12 years, working on physical layer protocols since day one. I participated in the research and standardization of the LTE protocol versions ranging from R10 to R15. I’m currently researching 5G NR and have filed 260 patent applications as the first inventor.”

Xing shared that, “I joined CICT Mobile after graduating in 2007 and have been working on the standardization of the physical layer of mobile communications systems since then. I have participated in the standardization programs of several international and domestic standardization organizations, such as 3GPP and CCSA (China Communications Standardization Association).” She added that “CICT Mobile has innovation in its DNA. We recognize the important role of innovation in the development of the company and the entire industry, and we strive to create an environment that’s conducive for innovation.”

Back in the early days of 3G standardization, CICT Group, supported by industry authorities, drew on its years of research to present its proprietary TD-SCDMA technology, making it one of the three mainstream 3G standards, a breakthrough in mobile communications standards. This approach has also promoted the continued innovation, improvement, and standardization of 3G’s successors, 4G and 5G. To turbocharge the development of 5G in China, CICT Group has actively engaged in the formulation of global 5G standards. From the beginning of 3GPP’s 5G standardization work from 2015 to 2020, the company has submitted more than 10,000 technical documents on 5G technology and played a leading role in the approval of many important projects in 3GPP’s standardization efforts.

Datang Mobile (a subsidiary of CICT Mobile) has been working with Avanci’s IoT licensing platform since 2019. Commenting on Avanci, Gao said, “As an automotive licensing marketplace, Avanci provides a one-stop solution for telecom companies and automakers. It can further fuel the wide adoption of wireless communications technology in the auto sector. The cooperation between Datang Mobile and Avanci plays an exemplary role in the application of 5G standard technology in the IoT field. I think other IoT fields can also draw on this model.”  Xing added, “With its innovative approach to patent licensing, Avanci has attracted dozens of domestic and foreign telecom companies. It offers a one-stop solution for them and automakers, providing a great model for the application of cellular technology in IoT. This allows telecom companies to focus more on the development of the telecom technology itself. The implementors find it extremely inefficient to work with each telecom company separately. In fact, Avanci addresses the pain points of both sides. I think this is exactly why it can attract people to get on board. It can also fuel the wide adoption of wireless technology in the automotive sector.”

The industries and fields for vertical applications may be new to many telecom companies. If you want to go it alone, you will need to invest a lot of time and effort researching, negotiating and communicating. However, the Avanci marketplace resolves this problem for many telecom companies, acting as a bridge between them and automakers, which appeals to vendors in the communications field.

What will 5G mean to automakers?

5G is here and has the potential to provide as much or more value to automakers than to their customers.

Those putting 5G at the top of their intentions and investments will reap the rewards because it will unlock new revenue streams, create a closer connection to their customers, and allow them to stay ahead of their competitors as the automotive industry increases its focus on mobility rather than machines.

Analyst firm McKinsey estimates that mobility and data-driven services such as shared mobility, apps and navigations could create around $1.5 trillion of extra revenue, or a 30 percent boost, in 2030 compared to 2016. Ford and Google’s six-year partnership announced this week, which will see Google assume responsibility for all connectivity, from infotainment to AI in Ford cars, is testament to this.

Crucially too, it’ll allow automakers to have an enhanced and lasting connection to their customers, beyond just the point of sale, giving them the option to offer drivers features such as remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance and online service scheduling.

As cars become more connected as a result of 5G, they will generate and handle mass amounts of data. Data is key and car makers must ensure they can generate the same amount of data that technology companies such as Uber and Lyft do in order to compete as the industry transitions to providing mobility rather than vehicles.

5G is no longer the next big thing. It’s arriving in the auto industry this year and its importance will continue to grow. In the not too distant future, the majority of vehicles will have 5G connectivity on board, with analyst firm Gartner predicting that by 2023 the automotive industry will become the largest market opportunity for 5G IoT solutions.

Avanci is now the go-to global licensing platform for connected vehicles and other IoT devices, with 15 auto brands already on board as licensee and with 40 patent owners on board. More than 16 million connected vehicles on the world’s roads are already licensed through our platform. We’ve taken the complexity out of patent licensing so that automakers can focus on doing what they do best: building the next generation of connected vehicles.

The impact that 5G will have on our driving experience

5G has arrived and will shape the future of connected cars, ensuring that drivers have a safer and more enjoyable driving experience. In fact, many major auto brands across the globe have already turned their attention to the design and manufacturing of new 5G-enabled models to offer a seamless driving experience, rich with new opportunities.

Improving the safety of travel

According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 1.35 million fatalities each year as a result of road traffic accidents. But thanks to new 5G technology developed specifically for automotive applications – such as the introduction of vehicle to everything (V2X) communications – road safety is expected to be vastly improved.

V2X significantly improves the flow of information between vehicles, pedestrians, and road infrastructure through the creation of ultra-reliable, high bandwidth, and low-latency data links that were not possible in the past. These V2X communication links enable data to be shared instantaneously, giving vehicles the capability to “sense” danger and take preventative measures to avoid collisions faster than a human driver could react. In fact, auto manufacturer Seat estimates that 68% of accidents could be avoided by using 5G technology combined with cameras, sensors, and beacons as part of city infrastructure.

Many of the features of V2X technology will increase safety on our roads. One example, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, allows vehicles to communicate directly with one another without traversing any other network nodes. This advance allows one vehicle to issue warnings to other vehicles on the road, which can help to avoid collisions, avoid road hazards, and manage traffic congestion. Another example, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, creates communication channels between a vehicle and nearby infrastructure. The technology will be used, among other things, to sense an upcoming red light, and then adjust the vehicle’s rate of travel to maximize fuel economy or even automatically slow down or stop the vehicle if the driver fails to do so.

Improving the driving experience

Critically, 5G’s enhanced connectivity and higher data rates will also enhance the driving experience. Many of today’s drivers and passengers are looking for cars to keep pace with other parts of their digital lives. According to McKinsey, 40% of consumers would change car brands just to gain more connectivity within their vehicles, rising to 61% for drivers in China alone. User demand for connectivity is only increasing, as drivers seek to unlock new benefits that make driving more comfortable.

As the 5G Automotive Association points out, 5G technology will enhance any journey by powering real-life traffic information to optimize a driver’s trip, for example, with the ability to find the closest free parking space or enabling predictive maintenance to save drivers both time and money.

But 5G won’t just benefit drivers, it will benefit passengers too. As Christoph Voigt, head of connectivity at Audi put it, “the trip will be considerably more entertaining” with the introduction of connected cars. That could mean being able to, in just a few seconds, download and start streaming content during the ride or join a video call.

A recent study from Nokia found that the majority of vehicle owners are interested in enhanced connectivity in the car, with improved navigation and safety features the lowest-hanging fruit. It’s clear that drivers want a vehicle to do more than just get them from A to B. With wireless technology under the hood, vehicles can stay in sync with information over the web, the cloud and whatever comes next.

5G – along with autonomous driving and electrification – is one of the most exciting technological innovations to happen to vehicles. Automakers that tap into this opportunity will enable their customers to benefit from a number of unique advances and position themselves to meet the growing demand for cars that keep pace with consumers’ digital lifestyles.

Stay tuned for more!

On the third anniversary of a groundbreaking deal between Avanci and BMW, three reasons why patent pools are now more important to the auto industry

Three years ago I signed possibly the most important deal of my career, when BMW Group became the first automotive licensee on our newly founded Avanci platform.

It was a major milestone in our mission to license the vast majority of 2G, 3G and 4G essential patents in a single license at a fair, flat rate.

Since that first agreement was signed, more than 16 million connected vehicles from 15 auto brands under license are on the road around the world, and we continue to welcome new patent owners and auto makers to the platform.

The success of Avanci has been based on a very simple but important principle: listening to and understanding the views of different groups with opposing views and interests.

For years, disputes over patent use and costs in the smartphone industry were fought out in long, expensive court cases, in which no-one emerged as the winner, apart from the litigators.

I knew it could be different for the automotive industry. There had to be a better, simpler and smarter way of doing business by talking and bringing people together, focusing on what was important – getting deals done and driving innovation together. That’s why I founded Avanci.

Once you’ve heard what people have to say, you can start looking for solutions and solving problems.

BMW had a number of things they needed from us to make it work for them, and we talked to them over many months.

We had to ensure the price we set was right for all parties. Our whole business is founded on relationships, trust and working in partnership with both licensees and licensors so we can find an agreement which works for all parties. It simply wouldn’t work if we didn’t invest time in this way.

There was definitely pressure on me to get the BMW deal done, and it was a challenging time.  It’s a bit like opening a restaurant. You can have the right ingredients, the right dishes and have done your market research. But you need customers to walk in and enjoy a meal together. Until you open your door for the first time, you don’t know if it will work.

There was also a lot of pressure after agreeing the deal, because I wanted to repay that trust they had shown in us and to exceed their expectations.

I remember having a celebratory meal with BMW Group’s General IP Counsel Josef Dirscherl and thanking him for the faith they’d shown in Avanci. And he replied: “no, thank you, this is an amazing deal for us too.” It made me really happy to realize that we both came out feeling like we’d succeeded. That’s exactly how it should be.

To mark that deal and all the benefits that have come from it, I asked my friend Josef, who has now retired, if he felt that deal is as important now as it was then. He gave me a simple answer, including three reasons why:

  • “My 32 years of experience in IP at BMW group made me a believer in pragmatism. Kasim and his experts gave the clout and contacts that helped me assure my board they would succeed. Three years later, though I have retired from the industry I keep close tabs on developments. Every technological trend and product development I see makes me more certain that our original deal with Avanci was a great step forward for the car industry. I believe that similar solutions are necessary for automotive companies to thrive in the next generations of connected cars. There are many reasons for this, but three in particular that I would encourage colleagues in the auto industry to reflect on: 
  1. Simplicity. Avanci transformed a situation where car industry IP professionals had to work with suppliers to deal with multiple IP owners where it was far from obvious how much was relevant for their products, into a one-stop-shop where Avanci worked with IP owners and auto makers to come up with a common solution and fixed price 
  2. Managing risks. Taking an Avanci license meant we could encourage other patent owners to join Avanci instead of seeking a direct license with us, and also provided a reference price to help provide create legal comfort in case they refused. Minimizing the risks of litigation freed time up for me and my team to support innovation in the company. 
  3. Efficiency. Dealing with a third party like Avanci made it possible to take a license to the patents of many patent owners without dealing individually with the patent owners. Having an experienced set of individuals who knew both auto and telecoms meant we were speaking each other’s language, and Kasim was able to get buy-in from all sides, succeeding where others had failed before. 
  • Josef Dirscherl, Former BMW Group General IP Counsel 

The last three years have been eventful but, standing as we are on the cusp of major technological change, I see the next three years being just as exciting. We recently launched our 5G automotive program, and as the car industry looks forward to the opportunities of electric vehicles, 5G connectivity, assisted and automated driving, the next generation of Avanci solutions will be there to make the route to licensing IP that much easier.

Download: Japanese

Avanci Launches 5g Licensing Platform For The Internet Of Things

New automotive licensing program reviewed by U.S. Department of Justice

DALLAS, TX, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Avanci, the one-stop platform for licensing wireless technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT), today launches its 5G automotive licensing program. This important step comes as the auto industry works to develop the next generation of connected vehicles, ensuring that this technology can be shared efficiently and affordably.

5G connectivity will deliver significant value to the automotive sector, building on the use of previous standards in connected vehicles. This program, part of Avanci’s new 5G IoT platform, will enable patent owners and IoT and automotive companies to share 5G standard essential wireless patents in a single license.

The 5G platform builds on the unprecedented success of the Avanci marketplace, which transformed the licensing landscape by licensing the vast majority of the 2G, 3G, and 4G cellular essential patents in a single agreement at fixed, fair and transparent rates. Avanci is now the go-to global licensing platform for connected vehicles and other IoT devices, spanning 38 patent owners and with 14 automotive brands as licensees.

The 5G automotive program was reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Antitrust Division. In its Business Review Letter, published on July 28, Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the DoJ, said: “In sum, the proposed 5G Platform has the potential to yield efficiencies by reducing transaction costs and streamlining licensing for connected vehicles. Together these efficiencies may allow cellular standards-essential patent owners and vehicle manufacturers to focus resources elsewhere, such as investment in further research and development in emerging 5G technologies and applications. This possibility could enhance competition in these technologies, improve safety, and benefit American consumers.”

Kasim Alfalahi, founder and CEO of Avanci, says: “Through our one-stop Avanci marketplace we have licensed the vast majority of cellular standard-essential patents to millions of connected vehicles. 5G will power the IoT to expand to many new categories of connected products. As we begin operating our first 5G licensing program for connected vehicles, we will continue to transform how patent licensing is done.”

Avanci will now begin discussions with IoT device manufacturers, the auto industry and patent owners about streamlining the patent licensing process for 5G connected devices, as it has done for the previous technologies. Interested companies can contact Avanci via www.avanci.com.

This news follows the World Economic Forum naming Avanci as a 2020 Technology Pioneer, its selection of early to growth-stage companies that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society.

Notes to Editors

  • The Business Review Letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Antitrust Division on the Avanci 5G automotive licensing program can be found here.
  • Avanci’s one-stop platform simplifies the way IoT and automotive companies add connectivity to their products by offering the 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G cellular standard essential patents of many different patent owners in a single license agreement.
  • By streamlining technology sharing through an efficient and transparent marketplace, Avanci is accelerating the growth of the IoT. Avanci’s existing marketplace today includes 38 patent licensors and 14 licensees for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies.

Orange Joins Avanci Licensing Platform

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avanci announced the addition of Orange, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, to its licensing platform bringing the total number of patent owners participating in the platform to 31. Orange’s cellular standard essential patents will now be available through Avanci’s one-stop marketplace.

“Orange’s participation – along with the participation of eight more network operators in seven countries — demonstrates Avanci’s shared commitment with the telecom industry to simplify the patent licensing process for the automotive industry and make standardized technology more widely available,” said Kasim Alfalahi, founder and chief executive officer of Avanci. “Our one-stop marketplace is transforming the licensing landscape by providing a solution that balances the interests of patent owners and automotive licensees. This makes licensing more efficient, increases transparency, fosters continued innovation, and streamlines technology sharing for everyone involved.”

“Joining the Avanci licensing platform illustrates our desire to value all our investments, intellectual property included. In the development of 5G technologies to the closest industrial applications and their ecosystems, connected cars areas and IoT are among the most promising,” said Lyse Brillouet, VP Intellectual Property and Licensing of Orange.

Avanci’s one-stop marketplace simplifies the way companies share technology by licensing intellectual property from many different patent holders in a single transaction. By streamlining the technology sharing process, Avanci is accelerating the growth of the Internet of Things by providing IoT manufacturers with an efficient and transparent way to access the wireless technology needed to bring their products online.