Next generation mobile broadband gets a boost

ESPOO, Finland – Nokia has teamed up with a selection of other wireless technology companies to help drive the next phase of mobile broadband.

Long Term Evolution is seen by many as the next-generation mobile network, beyond the current 3G. The new licensing agreement is designed to ensure adoption costs of LTE are kept low to enable faster roll-out.

Royalty fees for technology use can sometimes render new technology
costly, but this new agreement ensures the cost of key technology
relating to Long Term Evolution will be kept low.

Reuters.com summed up the aim of the agreement

“The companies, which include the world’s largest cellphone maker Nokia
and top mobile network gear maker Ericsson, said on Monday they were
aiming to boost take-up of the new technology by agreeing to license
their patents on fair and reasonable terms.”

Nokia’s vice president of Intellectual Property Rights, Ilkka Rahnasto outlines the benefits

“Today’s announcement is a step
towards establishing more predictable and transparent licensing costs
in a manner that enables faster adoption of new technologies.”

Other companies already signed up to the agreement include
Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEX, NextWave Wireless, Nokia Siemens
Networks and Sony Ericsson and more are expected to follow.

These latest moves mean we could be seeing a rapid increase in mobile
broadband speeds within the next couple of years. Something consumers
everywhere are sure to welcome with open arms.

Picture from PageDooley