Huawei and HP Agreement Puts Wi-Fi Patents in Focus

The Huawei and HP agreement brings together two major technology companies through a multiyear global patent cross-licensing deal, including a licence for HP Inc. to use certain Huawei Wi-Fi patents. The arrangement also gives Huawei access to reciprocal patent rights from HP.

At first glance, it is a patent licensing deal. But the Wi-Fi element makes it more interesting. Wireless connectivity has become part of the basic infrastructure of homes, workplaces, schools and public spaces, making the technologies behind it increasingly important to the wider device ecosystem.

Huawei patents meet a wider Wi-Fi ecosystem

The agreement adds another chapter to Huawei patents being licensed across the technology industry, particularly those connected to standardised Wi-Fi technologies.

Wi-Fi standards are developed through technical contributions from companies across the industry and are then made broadly available to implementers. Huawei said its contributions have played a role across successive generations of Wi-Fi technology.

Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 remain widely used, while Wi-Fi 6 supports higher capacity and lower energy consumption for applications ranging from high-definition video and gaming to AR/VR and IoT devices.

Wi-Fi 7 takes that further with higher throughput, lower latency and more reliable connectivity for applications such as 8K video, cloud computing, remote work and online conferencing.

What HP Inc. licensing means here

The HP Inc. licensing element gives HP access to certain Huawei Wi-Fi patents while the reciprocal arrangement gives Huawei valuable patent rights from HP.

That makes the deal broader than a one-way technology licence. Both companies can use patented innovations from the other side under the multiyear framework.

Huawei's Chief Intellectual Property Officer Alan Fan described the agreement as a reflection of Huawei's independent innovation in ICT and its approach to sharing innovation through patent licensing.

Patent cross-licensing behind everyday connectivity

The patent cross-licensing arrangement also highlights how much everyday technology depends on standards and the innovations supporting them.

From laptops and cameras to smart home devices, Wi-Fi now supports a wide range of connected experiences. The evolution from Wi-Fi 4 and 5 to Wi-Fi 6 and 7 has expanded what wireless networks can handle.

For technology companies, licensing therefore becomes one way of making patented technologies available while recognising the contributions behind them.

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