Ericsson and OPPO announced a multi-year global cross-license for cellular standard-essential patents, including 5G, on July 15, 2024. Ericsson says OPPO will pay royalties, but neither company disclosed the rate, a standalone amount or a specific end date. The announcement also describes 5G-related business and technical cooperation.
What the agreement covers
Ericsson calls the deal a “multi-year global patent cross license agreement.” Both companies describe the licensed rights as patents essential to cellular standards, including 5G. The releases do not include a patent-by-patent schedule or a list of countries covered. “Multi-year” is the only duration specified; no exact expiry date is given. Ericsson’s announcement and OPPO’s announcement both use global-scope language.
A cross-license means each party grants the other rights to use patents covered by the agreement. However, the public statements do not spell out the reciprocal economic terms. They establish that OPPO will pay royalties to Ericsson, not that the licenses have equal value or that any payment is offset by a payment in the other direction.
Who pays royalties, and what is disclosed?
Ericsson says OPPO will make royalty payments to it. Neither company’s announcement states the royalty rate, a standalone payment amount or the full financial terms. Ericsson says the agreement’s financial benefit was already reflected in its second-quarter 2024 results, but it does not quantify the agreement’s contribution. That timing statement is not a disclosed deal value.
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#1 Best Overall
- 6.82 inches, LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 1440 x 3168 pixels
- 512GB Storage, 12GB RAM
- Android 16, Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm), Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
- Rear: 200 MP, f/1.5, 23mm (wide), 1/1.12", PDAF, OIS, 200 MP, f/2.2, 70mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.28", PDAF (15cm - ∞), OIS, 3x optical zoom, 50 MP, f/3.5, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.75", PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom, 50 MP, f/2.0, 14mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.95", PDAF, Front: 50 MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/2.75", PDAF
- 163.2 x 77.0 x 8.7 mm or 9.1 mm
What cooperation did the companies announce?
The license was announced alongside broader 5G cooperation. Ericsson names device testing, customer engagements and marketing activities. OPPO describes technical cooperation, market expansion and other collaborations. The releases do not detail specific project commitments or establish that particular testing, marketing or expansion projects have since been completed.
Why cellular patent licensing matters
Cellular devices and networks rely on technical standards so products made by different companies can communicate. A patent that is essential to implementing a standard may be relevant to companies building standard-compliant products. Ericsson says licensing compensates patent holders for research and development and is consistent with industry practice for companies providing products based on 3GPP cellular standards. That is Ericsson’s explanation in its announcement, not a complete account of legal obligations in every jurisdiction.
Rank #2
- For USA Buyers : This Smartphone is compatible/will work with any GSM Networks such as AT&T, T-Mobile. For exact 2G GSM, 3G, 4G/LTE compatibility, please check with your network provider in advance prior to your purchase. This phone WILL NOT WORK with any CDMA Networks such as VERIZON, SPRINT, US CELLULAR.
- Dual-SIM, Network Compatibility, SIM CARD 1 AND 2 [2G : GSM 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900 and/or 3G : WCDMA 800(B6) / 800(B19) / 850(B5) / 900(B8) / 1700|2100(B4) / 1900(B2) / 2100(B1) and/or 4G : LTE FDD 700(B12) / 700(B13) / 700(B17) / 700(B28) / 800(B20) / 850(B5) / 850(B18) / 850(B19) / 850(B26) / 900(B8) / 1500(B32) / 1700|2100(B4) / 1800(B3) / 1900(B2) / 2100(B1) / 2100(B66) / 2600(B7) : LTE TDD 1900(B39) / 2000(B34) / 2300(B40) / 2500(B41) / 2600(B38) and/or 5G : NR N1/N2/N3/N5/N7/N8/N12/N20/N26/N28/N66/N38/N40/N41/N77/N78]
- 6.83 inches, AMOLED, 1272 x 2800 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
- 512GB Storage, 12GB RAM
- Android 15, ColorOS 15, Mediatek Dimensity 8350 (4 nm), Octa-core (1x3.35 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3x3.20 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x2.20 GHz Cortex-A510)
OPPO has also reported substantial patent and standards activity, but those figures do not show which patents are included in this license. As of June 30, 2024, OPPO reported more than 6,200 global patent-application families for 5G communication standards across more than 40 countries and regions, and more than 3,700 5G families declared to ETSI. It also reported more than 12,000 standard documents submitted to 3GPP. These are company-reported figures, not an independent count of patents covered by the Ericsson agreement. OPPO’s announcement gives the figures and their date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What it means for OPPO customers
The announcement establishes patent licensing and planned business cooperation; it does not announce a change to OPPO phone availability, pricing, features or software updates. It also does not promise network upgrades or a particular consumer benefit. Any such outcome would require evidence beyond the terms made public in these announcements.
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Rank #4
- 6.78 inches, LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 1272 x 2772 pixels
- 512GB Storage, 16GB RAM
- Android 16, up to 5 major Android upgrades, ColorOS 16, Mediatek Dimensity 9500 (3 nm), Octa-core (1x4.21 GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.5 GHz C1-Premium & 4x2.7 GHz C1-Pro)
- Rear: 50 MP, f/1.5, 23mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 200 MP, f/2.1, 70mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.56", 0.5µm, 3x optical zoom, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, multi-directional PDAF, Front: 50 MP, f/2.0, 21mm (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, PDAF
- 161.3 x 76.5 x 8.3 mm (6.35 x 3.01 x 0.33 in)
Rank #3
- 8.12 inches, Foldable LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 2248 x 2480 pixels
- 512GB Storage, 16GB RAM
- Android 16, ColorOS 16, Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm), Hepta-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 5x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
- Rear: 200 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56”, 0.5µm, PDAF, OIS, 50 MP, f/2.7, 70mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.75", 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom, 50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.75", 0.64µm, AF, Front: 20MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/3.42", 0.64µm, Cover camera: 20MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/3.42", 0.64µm
- Unfolded: 159.9 x 145.6 x 4.2 mm, Folded: 159.9 x 74.1 x 8.9 mm
What remains private
- The royalty rate and total payment amount.
- The full patent portfolios and country-by-country coverage schedule.
- The reciprocal license’s economic terms.
- A specific contract expiry date and detailed project commitments for the announced cooperation.
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