Nokia, Xiaomi sign licencing agreement

Telecoms network equipment maker Nokia and Chinese handset maker XiaomiTechnology have signed a patent licencing agreement, said the companies.

The agreement includes a cross licence to each company's cellular standard patents. Nokia will also provide network infrastructure equipment to Xiaomi.

"Xiaomi is one of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers and we are delighted to have reached an agreement with them," Nokia Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said in a statement.

According to a report in Bloomberg , "The deal expands a portfolio augmented last year by the purchase of some 1,500 patents from Microsoft Corp, and may help smooth over potential legal tangles abroad. Under their agreement, Xiaomi will buy patents from Nokia for an undisclosed sum, while the two companies have agreed to share essential licensing rights."

Also, as per reports in some Chinese publications , Xiaomi and Nokia are exploring a strategic collaboration which may see the Finnish company use Xiaomi's Surge S1 system-on-chip in its upcoming mid-range smartphones.

In February this year, Xiaomi joined the ranks of Qualcomm, Huawei , Apple, Mediatek and some others with its Surge S1 processor. The SoC made its debut in the company's Mi 5c. Xiaomi Surge S1 is a mid-range processor.