Apple and Nokia renew patent deal for 5G and beyond

Apple and Nokia have agreed to a new patent license agreement that will allow Apple to use Nokia's patented inventions in 5G and other technologies. The deal will replace the previous one expiring at the end of this year.

Nokia owns over 20,000 patents, including 5,500 related to 5G technology. Nokia offers its patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, meaning other companies can license them for a fee.

Apple and Nokia have a long history of patent disputes and settlements. In 2009, Apple sued Nokia for allegedly copying the iPhone design, while Nokia sued Apple for infringing on its patents. They reached a settlement in 2011. Then in 2016, they sued each other again over patent royalties before reaching another settlement in 2017. That involved a USD 2 billion payment from Apple to Nokia, and brought Withings products back to the Apple Store.

The new agreement covers 5G and other technologies for a multi-year period. Nokia said it will receive payments from Apple but did not disclose the terms of the deal. 

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Apple will reportedly use its own modem design for 2023 iPhones

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Apple will reportedly use its own 5G modems in iPhones coming out in 2023. According to a report in Nikkei, the company will partner with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make this happen. It plans to use TSMC's 4nm process node, which the company hasn't deployed in commercial products. But it is supposedly being designed and tested at 5nm before entering mass production 2023 at 4nm.

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SaskTel picks Samsung to deploy tech for 5G network

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SaskTel has announced that Samsung Electronics Co. will be the sole supplier of its 5G network. The tech company will provide all hardware, software and associated expertise for SaskTel's end-to-end 5G solution.

"SaskTel's deployment of a transformational 5G network will foster continued innovation and support the growth of Saskatchewan's technology sector," Don Morgan, the minister responsible for SaskTel, said Monday in a statement.

SaskTel has invested over $3 billion in capital since 2010 throughout Saskatchewan to improve its network and address future demand, including 5G technology. The company plans to invest $324 million of capital across Saskatchewan in 2020-21 and over $1.6 billion to 2025.

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5G could change mobile gaming

Technology is always evolving and getting better, and this has led to a lot of improvement in our daily lives over the last two decades or so. The pace of technological advancement has been the fastest over this time period than at any point in human history, and this is set to continue in the foreseeable future as well. With this in mind, we can look at one of the most exciting developments in the mobile and internet space, and the impact this will have on various facets of our mobile usage.

5G is the next step in mobile internet speed, and is set to be launched in many countries across the world in the next few months. 4G was a gamechanger when it was introduced, and 5G will have an even bigger impact, since the speed and bandwidth provided will be at par with that of fixed cable internet connections. We could even see 5G internet be used as the primary internet source in many households, replacing their fixed-line and WiFi connections. This is bound to have a huge impact on how people consume content on their phones, and is likely to increase the amount of internet usage for people on their mobile devices.

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