Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi Corp, two of China’s largest smartphone vendors, concluded a global patent cross-licensing agreement that covers multiple communications technologies, including 5G. This agreement can support the expansion initiatives of both companies.

Before this deal was reached, Huawei, which holds the most 5G patents worldwide as of April 2022, was involved in a patent infringement lawsuit against Xiaomi covering the long-term evolution 4G standard, smartphone photography, and a screen-lock method. Xiaomi attempted to invalidate the screen-lock patent in April, but this action was rejected by CNIPA in early September.

The agreement underscores the increased focus of both Huawei and Xiaomi to compete with Apple in the high-end segment of the smartphone market, where the US tech giant’s iPhone has led around the world.
The deal with Xiaomi followed Huawei’s new global patent cross-licensing agreement with Sweden’s Ericsson last month, covering 3G, 4G and 5G mobile technologies. Huawei signed similar patent-licensing deals with Oppo, Samsung, and Nokia last year.

Consequently, such deals that help to develop innovation in the industry will ultimately benefit consumers.