Samsung licenses Ericsson's cell phone technologies

Samsung licenses Ericsson's cell phone technologies
By Semiconductor Business News
January 11, 2002 (3:34 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020111S0064

STOCKHOLM-- LM Ericsson today announced it has licensed patented technologies for 2G and 3G cellular phones to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., which will pay royalties to the Swedish communications giant. Terms of the licensing pact were not released.

Under the royalty-bearing agreement, Ericsson said it has granted a non-exclusive license to Samsung for its patents covering GSM, TDMA, GPRS, Edge and W-CDMA mobile phone standards. The South Korean electronics manufacturer now rights to develop, manufacture, and sell 2G and 3G handsets as well as infrastructure equipment for these standards, said Ericsson.

Stockholm-based Ericsson claims to have a 40% market share in cellular phones based on third-generation W-CDMA [wideband code-division multiple access] technology as well as the 2G GSM/GPRS/Edge standards. The company also said it has over 10,000 patents worldwide.