Patent Pool May Be a Key Factor in Open RAN Adoption, Report Says

A patent pool may play a key role in the adoption of Open RAN technology, according to a recent report published by Harvard Business School Professor Josh Lerner and Bella Private Markets.

The report entitled “Accelerating innovation in connectivity: The case for an Open RAN patent pool”, which can be found here, was commissioned by Alium, a joint venture between MPEG LA and Unified Patents. Alium launched the Open RAN Patent Portfolio License last year. See https://www.alium-llc.com/blog/alium-introduces-open-ran-patent-portfolio-license

"Patent pools have historically played a critical role in supporting innovation by reducing risks around intellectual property and encouraging investment in new technologies. One such technology is Open RAN, a key component in unlocking widespread 5G adoption,” said Professor Lerner. “The Alium pool represents one effort to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN and help realize its many potential benefits."

“We appreciate the work of Josh Lerner and Bella Private Markets demonstrating a patent pool’s role in the adoption of Open RAN technology,” said Craig Thompson, a licensing executive at Alium. “While Open RAN has the potential to reshape the market for mobile telecommunications by increasing vendor diversity, lowering costs and energy consumption, facilitating wider adoption of 5G, and giving operators greater control over their networks, it relies on a crowded and complex patent landscape with little or no royalty benchmarking information. That’s where the Alium Patent Pool comes in. Based on our experience, we are confident that Alium’s Open RAN Patent Pool will reduce royalty stacking, hold-up, and expensive litigation risks, helping Open RAN implementers save billions in costs while accelerating future revenue growth, profitability, and new service deployments.”

Alium’s objective is to offer worldwide access to as many Open RAN essential patents as possible to everyone on the same terms under a single license. Alium welcomes the participation of any party with at least one patent that is essential to the Open RAN Standard. For more information, please go to https://www.alium-llc.com/licensors.