According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, Huawei has requested the US carrier Verizon to pay license fees for over 230 patents related to telecommunications equipment, for a total of over $1 billion! Is it the opening of a new chapter in the clash between the Chinese giant and the US government?
According to reports, it appears that Verizon does not directly use the equipment of the Chinese company, but depends on 20 suppliers that take advantage of Huawei’s technology. The main patents include network equipment, wired infrastructure, IoT technology; licensing costs would amount to a staggering $1 billion.
Gizchina News of the week
Representatives for Huawei and Verizon met last week in New York to discuss some of the patents at issue. A Verizon spokesperson told the New York Times that the company had no comment on the matter, but added that “these issues are larger than just Verizon.” He also added, “Given the broader geopolitical context, any issue involving Huawei has implications for our entire industry and also raise national and international concerns.”
It is worth to mention that on the sidelines of the recent G20 forum held last weekend in Japan, Saudi technology minister Abdullah al-swaha says his country is open to using technology and products produced by Huawei.
With a statement against the tide, therefore, Saudi Arabia sided with the Chinese giant, which could therefore have a fundamental role in the construction of the 5G network of the Middle Eastern country.
