Huawei and HP Inc. have announced the signing of a multiyear global patent cross-licensing agreement, which includes a license to HP Inc. for certain Huawei WiFi patents. The agreement marks a milestone in intellectual property cooperation between the two companies, underscoring Huawei’s innovation capabilities and core technological strength, as well as HP’s position as a global leader in computers and peripheral equipment.
Alan Fan, Huawei’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer, expressed satisfaction with the agreement, stating, “Huawei is pleased to reach this patent cross-licensing agreement with HP Inc. This agreement is a strong testament to Huawei’s persistent independent innovation in cutting-edge fields in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).” He added that through patent licensing, Huawei shares its innovation with the industry, particularly in standardized technologies, bringing leading technological experiences to consumers worldwide.
Steven Geiszler, who represented Huawei in the negotiations, noted, “This is another successful licensing of Huawei patents, particularly in the area of standardized Wi-Fi technologies—while obtaining valuable reciprocal patent rights from HP Inc. I appreciate the professionalism and courteousness shown by HP’s negotiation team during this project.”
The agreement comes at a time when Wi-Fi has become one of the most widely used wireless technologies globally, connecting homes, schools, hospitals, offices, and public spaces. Each generation of the standard is developed openly, drawing on technical contributions from companies across the industry, and is then made broadly available to implementers. Although older generations like Wi-Fi 4 and 5 lack the speed and throughput of newer versions, they remain widely used for less demanding applications.
Wi-Fi 6, with its high speed, large capacity, and lower energy consumption, enables multiple high-definition video streaming, gaming, and AR/VR services alongside legacy broadband and IoT devices such as laptops, refrigerators, cameras, doorbells, thermostats, and lightbulbs—all with a single wireless router. Wi-Fi 7, building on Wi-Fi 6, delivers even higher throughput, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity, facilitating an exceptionally smooth experience for 8K video, gaming, AR/VR, remote work, online video conferencing, and cloud computing.
These advances have made reliable wireless connectivity part of the basic infrastructure of everyday life, supporting remote healthcare, digital education, and more energy-efficient homes and workplaces. Huawei has played a significant role in contributing to the development of Wi-Fi technologies over successive generations and makes the resulting technologies available publicly, ensuring that innovation created in one place can benefit users everywhere.
This cross-licensing agreement is a testament to the value of intellectual property in the tech industry, as companies recognize the importance of sharing innovations while protecting their own. It also highlights the growing significance of Wi-Fi technology in a world increasingly reliant on wireless connectivity.
