Huawei and Qualcomm Sign Their First 5G Patent Deal, With Qualcomm Buying Huawei U.S. Patents

The multi-year cross-license covers 5G, computing, AI and networking, and Huawei says it will lift the total value of its licensing agreements past $6.9 billion once it closes.

SHENZHEN, China - Huawei and Qualcomm announced a multi-year, broad patent license agreement on Monday, Oct. 5, that cross-licenses the two companies’ patent portfolios across 5G, computing, AI and networking and includes Qualcomm’s purchase of certain Huawei U.S. patents in computing, AI, networking and other technologies. The companies said the transaction will close once the necessary regulatory approvals are received. Neither disclosed a price.

Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen Photo: Huawei

It is Huawei’s first patent licensing deal with Qualcomm that covers 5G, Reuters reported. Huawei said the agreement is expected to push the total value of its patent licensing agreements above $6.9 billion once completed, and that its intellectual property licensing business has generated positive revenue since 2021.

The direction of the patent sale is the notable part. For most of the smartphone era, Huawei was a Qualcomm customer. It made its first licensing payment to Qualcomm in 2001, according to Reuters, and received its first licensing income in 2011, from Motorola. Since U.S. trade restrictions began in 2019 and cut off its access to advanced chips and key software, Huawei has poured money into research and development and built its own processors for its phones. Now Qualcomm is paying for a slice of what that spending produced.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 family Photo: Qualcomm

Both companies used the announcement to claim credit. “Huawei’s decades of sustained investment in fundamental R&D have driven innovation and progress in mobile communications and other technology fields,” said Alan Fan, Huawei’s chief intellectual property officer, pointing to the company’s work on polar codes in the 4G and 5G standards. “This agreement not only demonstrates the value of Huawei’s innovations, but also recognizes Qualcomm’s foundational contributions to modern communication technologies.”

“This agreement reaffirms industry recognition of Qualcomm’s 5G technology leadership and the success of Qualcomm’s 5G SEP licensing program,” said John Han, executive vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Technology Licensing. “This agreement likewise reflects Qualcomm’s recognition of Huawei’s continued innovation and intellectual property in 5G and other technology fields.”

*Video: Huawei on YouTube, "Huawei Decoded: IPR Explained"*

The companies said the agreement follows licensing practices consistent with fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, or FRAND, principles, the standard that governs patents essential to cellular technology. GSMArena notes that Huawei has been subject to U.S. trade restrictions since 2019 and that the regulatory review will show how the U.S. Commerce Department views a deal in which an American chipmaker buys patents from the Chinese company.

Huawei’s Mate 90 Pro Max, launched in China this month Photo: Huawei

The Qualcomm deal follows a licensing agreement with HP that Huawei announced in August, Reuters reported. For buyers, nothing changes on the shelf yet. For Huawei, it is another sign that the patents built up during years of heavy research spending now earn money on their own, this time from the chipmaker it once paid.

Sources: Huawei, “Huawei and Qualcomm Announce Broad Patent License Agreement,” Shenzhen, Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2026/10/qualcomm-broad-patent-agreement (deal terms, regulatory approval, FRAND, Alan Fan and John Han quotes); Qualcomm, same release, https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2026/10/huawei-and-qualcomm-announce-broad-patent-license-agreement; Reuters via The Economic Times, Oct. 5, 2026, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/huawei-agrees-to-a-multi-year-patent-licensing-deal-with-qualcomm/articleshow/134687782.cms (first 5G deal, $6.9 billion, positive licensing revenue since 2021, 2001 and 2011 history, HP deal in August); GSMArena, Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_and_qualcomm_sign_patent_crosslicensing_deal_for_5g_ai_and_other_tech-news-74900.php (U.S. Commerce Department context). Video: Huawei, “Huawei Decoded: IPR Explained,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uutj90h908E

Elena Vos, Business. Elena Vos is a senior correspondent covering tech deals, markets, and corporate strategy. Previously reported business and finance for independent newsrooms; based in London.