Qualcomm and Xiaomi have entered into a new patent license agreement in China that will allow Xiaomi to develop, manufacture and sell 3G and 4G complete devices. Under this new deal, Xiaomi will be paying Qualcomm for use of the patents, and will be able to push forward in growing its product assortment. Qualcomm hopes that Xiaomi will be able to use the patents to advance the mobile industry.
Derek Aberle, President of Qualcomm Incorporated said:
“Qualcomm is committed to the success of its partners in China as they continue to grow their businesses and we are pleased to reach this new agreement with Xiaomi. We work closely with our partners, such as Xiaomi, to push the boundaries of what’s possible and drive the advancement of the mobile industry.”
Xiaomi has signified its interest in making its own SoCs, and this agreement gives the vendor access to Qualcomm’s 3G and LTE modems. The license also negates any chance of litigation in the future, a scenario Xiaomi would want to avoid considering the vendor is still facing a legal battle with Ericsson in India that prevents it from selling any MediaTek-based devices in the country.
Source: Qualcomm