Sisvel launches patent pool on Wi-Fi 6

Sisvel International has announced the launch of a patent pool on Wi-Fi 6 technology, whose initial members are set to include Huawei, Mediatek, Philips, SK Telecom and Wilus. Huawei and Philips are also the first licensees of the pool.

Even before the official publication of the standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) has been pervasive in the market. Increased average throughput per user — the standard itself talks about a fourfold increase — and an increased number of concurrent users in high-density scenarios (offices, campuses, airports, stadiums, etc) are among the main benefits of Wi-Fi 6 when compared to Wi-Fi 5.

Sisvel says it is committed to create licensing solutions that work for both innovators and implementers. To facilitate early adoption of licences, the company created a new royalty scheme, the Licensing Incentive Framework for Technologies (LIFT), which will be available to licensees of this new pool.

“LIFT is the result of a two-year effort, specifically built to address the disadvantage that sometimes early licensees can feel and the ‘I don’t want to be the first’ syndrome,” said Mattia Fogliacco, President of Sisvel International. “We are confident that LIFT will substantially help in fostering the creation of a level playing field.”

“Licensing Wi-Fi technology has never been easy, but innovation has to be rewarded, because this is the only way to generate a virtuous circle to incentivise parties to innovate,” added Sisvel’s Wi-Fi Program Manager, Andrea Rombolà. “Wi-Fi is such a key technology to our lives today, made ever so much more important by the pandemic and the associated work-from-home phenomena. This new pool represents a very efficient way to clear the rights of major owners of Wi-Fi 6 standard essential patents.”

Fogliacco stated, “During the past two years of facilitation, we have created a framework that we feel will benefit the markets for technology as a whole, removing friction and aligning interests of innovators and implementers. We trust that this, together with the quality of the IP contributed by the participating patent owners, will quickly attract additional licensees and possibly additional patent owners.”

Sisvel said it is making the valuable portfolios included in the pool accessible on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, by offering a royalty-bearing, non-transferable, non-assignable, non-exclusive licence, with no right to grant sub-licences, under the participating patent owners’ patent portfolios essential to the 802.11ax specification. Further information about the terms and conditions of this licence offer is available on Sisvel’s website.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Lakee MNP

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