Ericsson files “landmark” end-to-end patent for 5G

Ericsson

Ericsson has filed what it is dubbing a “landmark” patent for a full 5G network.

The 400-page document, combining the work of 130 Ericsson inventors, contains the Sweden-based vendor’s suite of 5G inventions. The vendor filed a worldwide patent with WIPO and a US-specific patent with USPTO.

The end-to-end patent covers the nodes in the network, devices and overall network architecture. It also includes protocols for connecting these components to create a single fully functioning network.

Ericsson’s 5G portfolio includes technologies for both the access and core networks, including the 5G Radio Prototype and 5G Core.

[Read more: Ericsson CTO looks to escape market woes with California dreaming of tech’s potential]

Stefan Parkvall, Principal Researcher at Ericsson, said: “[The patent] contains everything you need to build a complete 5G network.”

The inventions would have “a huge impact on industry and society”, Parkvall added, by providing the low latency and high performance required for new use cases such as the Internet of Things.

5G is set to be fully standardised in 2020, with the first commercial deployments of pre-standard 5G to take place from 2018.

The vendor generally licenses patents that are considered essential to 3GPP standards under industry FRAND rules, which aim to balance the interests of the patent holder with those of customers. Ericsson did not specify if the new patent would be licensed, or under what terms.

According to the vendor’s 5G Readiness Survey, the number of telcos involved in 5G trials has more than doubled during the past 12 months.