InterDigital sells Apple a 3G license

Apple has licensed InterDigital’s patent portfolio for a rumored $20 million plus royalties. One estimate (reported by Reuters) estimates the deal being worth $56 million ($2 million/quarter) over 7 years.

Of course, Apple’s US iPhone is limited by the Cingular’s 2G (aka “2.5G”) slow EDGE network, so even at the new cheaper price many US buyers are hoping for a HSDPA version. But analysts agree that a European iPhone will require a 3G phone.

Presumably Apple will need a license from Qualcomm’s larger patent portfolio. One way would be to use Qualcomm’s 3G chipset. The existing iPhone has an Infineon GSM/EDGE chip, but thus far Infineon has not been a factor in HSDPA/USDPA RF chips. Other than Qualcomm, thus far the main suppliers of WCDMA chips are Nokia and Ericsson — but it’s not clear how either side of the deal would feel about selling using such chips for a competing product.

Technorati Tags: 3G, Apple, iPhone, patents, InterDigital