The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance has jointly organised and held a successful conference on Licensing Practices in 5G Industry Segments with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The conference featured moderators and speakers from some of the biggest names in telecoms, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, NTT Docomo, Orange, Ericsson, Nokia and Microsoft. Also in attendance were key stakeholders of vertical industries, including Audi, Bosch, Panasonic and u-Blox, and patent pool administrators, namely Avanci, MPEG-LA, Sisvel and Via Licensing, who co-sponsored the event, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Japanese and the European Patent Offices, and the European Commission.

Focusing on the development of 5^th Generation mobile networks (5G) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the conference facilitated sharing and discussion of present-day licensing practices and related issues across different industry segments.

Sessions covered:

• Patent licensing practices with interactive discussions that focused on issues stakeholders need to be aware of.
• Sharing licensors’, licensees’ and pool administrators’ requirements on patent pools/platforms.
• Identifying proposed practices and conducts for licensors and licensees.
• Listing requirements for increasing transparency and assessing essentiality of Standard Essential Patents declared to Standards Developing Organisations.

“It’s great to notice that our joint ITU-NGMN conference has been such a success,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, CEO of NGMN. “Obviously, the 5G Eco-System is different. New use cases beyond mobile broadband – like massive IoT as well as highly demanding requirements from vertical industries on low latency, ultra-high reliability and security – are causing substantial network transformations. All these challenges have implications on the intellectual property of mobile network operators and across the different industry segments. Conferences like this are key in identifying IPR issues and exploring solutions for the enlarged eco-system.”

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