Huawei has announced an update in Wi-Fi 7 patent licensing, stating that its royalty rate for the latest connectivity standard will be US$0.5 per unit for consumer-grade compliant devices. The move exemplifies Huawei’s commitment to fairness and predictability for the industry.
Wi-Fi 7 represents a significant development in Wi-Fi connectivity and is the latest generation of Wi-Fi technologies. It delivers dramatically higher throughput, lower latency and greater reliability; laying the groundwork for the next wave of Digital Transformation. The standard reveals new possibilities for interactions between people and intelligent systems as connected technology continues to evolve.
Huawei has been a major contributor in shaping Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) technologies and holds one of the largest portfolios of declared patents essential to the technology. This is a result of a decade of research and substantial resources invested into the development of core technologies that make Wi-Fi 7 what it is.
Alan Fan, Huawei’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer, said the company aims to facilitate collaborative licensing models that balance the interests of innovators and implementers, further reinforcing its leadership in shaping a transparent and efficient global Wi-Fi licensing environment.
For those looking to license Huawei’s Wi-Fi 7 patents, there are two paths available: bilateral agreements with Huawei or accessing the patents through a shared licensing pool – both offered under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms, the industry standard for essential patent licensing.
Huawei has been part of pooled licensing since 2022, when it became a founding member of the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool, joining as both a contributor of patents and a user of others’ patents within the pool. Pooled licensing is widely viewed as a practical solution for manufacturers, letting them secure rights to multiple companies’ patents through a single agreement rather than negotiating separately with each one.
In addition, Huawei’s Wi-Fi 6 patent portfolio remains in active use across the industry, reflecting a pattern of sustained investment in wireless technology that now extends into the Wi-Fi 7 generation.
Building on this success, Huawei has extended its participation to the Sisvel Wi-Fi Multimode pool as a founding member, offering licensees a single, streamlined platform for accessing essential patents across both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 generations.
