Huawei and Qualcomm Agree to Share Patents and Sell Inventions to Each Other

Huawei and Qualcomm have entered into a patent license agreement that will run for multiple years. The announcement was made in Shenzhen, China, on October 5, 2026.

Under the deal, the two businesses will cross license their patent collections to one another. Cross licensing means each company lets the other use its protected technical ideas.

The shared rights cover several areas of electronics. These areas include fifth-generation mobile signals, general computing, artificial intelligence, and networking.

Qualcomm will also purchase a specific set of United States patents from Huawei. Those acquired assets relate to artificial intelligence, computing systems, and networking.

The companies stated that the full transaction depends on permission from government regulators. The sale will officially finish only after officials grant the required approvals.

Both businesses noted that their terms follow common rules known as fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory principles. These rules mean companies offer licenses to others without unfair pricing or bias.

Alan Fan, who handles intellectual property for Huawei, pointed to Huawei's historical work on fourth-generation and fifth-generation wireless standards. He highlighted signal transmission methods that use polar codes, which help transfer data near physical limits.

John Han of Qualcomm's licensing division stated that the agreement confirms his company's work in wireless standards. He added that the arrangement also honors Huawei's ongoing technical innovations across mobile communications and other fields.