“GSM Technology Standardization Alliance?”

The so-called GSM Technology Standardization Alliance, also known as the Global Mobile Communication System Association, is abbreviated as gsma.{This is a behemoth that developed in the 21st century to span more than 220 countries, connecting nearly 800 mobile operators and more than 250 companies in the global mobile ecosystem. It is not even an exaggeration to say that it controls the entire GSM communications industry.

In order to solve the intellectual property issues in the GSM standard, the GSM standard consists of Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens and Alcatel. They exchange their respective patent licenses in limited quantities to realize technology sharing.

Historically, since 1994, on the supply side, all mobile phone devices were provided by companies participating in the license swap agreement. The GSM Technology Standardization Alliance has gained a huge market advantage. First, for companies with the Canadian Strategic Alliance, the license swap agreement can reduce market risks, and second, for companies that cannot obtain licenses, it creates market barriers.

It can be said that the establishment of the GSM Technology Standardization Alliance is a perfect example of "first-class enterprises to make standards". Taking Ericsson as an example, Ericsson, as one of the initiators of this alliance, its mobile phone products were not satisfactory. Later, it cooperated with Sony to establish Sony to produce mobile phones, which gained a place in the non-smart phone era.

But then again, after the mobile phone entered the era of smartphones, Sony, which had already been broken, completely collapsed. Sony bravely became the buyer, but almost lost himself. What about Ericsson, the other party who cooperated? They only rely on their dominant position in mobile phone standards. Selling licenses alone has maintained a Fortune 500 brand in the world.

This alone cannot help but admire their foresight. As the five initiators and main core technology owners of GSM technology standardization, Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens and Alcatel are the only five companies in this industry alliance that can authorize each other without paying full patent fees.

In the late 1990s, the gsm standard was promoted worldwide. After joining the alliance to obtain licensed companies, the patent usage fee would even account for 29% of the cost of gsm mobile phones.

1997 was the last chance to take this free ride.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou, this matter is not something I can decide." The person who spoke was Kevin Richardson of Motorola. Without waiting for Zhou Shuo to continue talking, he stood up and said, "If Panxing Company has nothing else, I don't think I need to stay anymore. Motorola is a big company and there are still many things to be busy with."

Zhou Shuo smiled. Motorola's attitude was not surprising. He was having a fight with Cisco. It was understandable that Motorola was cautious before the US government made a statement. Besides, he was not asking to join the GSM technology standardization alliance. Sooner or later, Motorola sat back at the negotiating table.

"I have someone to send Mr. Richardson out, please bring my greetings to Mr. Planck."

Zhou Shuo pressed the button on the table and shouted at the transponder: "Is Mr. Robert here? Please give me Mr. Kevin Richardson of Motorola, and prepare a copy of our gifts to Mr. Richardson."

"No need for this..." Richardson didn't really look at the little gift Zhou Shuo said last time. Although his status at Motorola is not high, he is not a greedy person.

"This is a souvenir from our Panxing Company to receive tender for Telfort, as well as some technical information about our products. Mr. Richardson should not refuse."

Zhou Shuo opened the office door, and Deputy General Manager Robert was already waiting outside the door. He indeed had a gift bag in his hand. It seemed that it was just some souvenirs and product information, so Richardson no longer refused and shook hands with him and left the office.

"Ahem."

Zhou Shuo closed the door and sat back on the sofa. He pretended to cough and cleared his throat, and asked with a smile: "How is it? You won't even have the intention to listen to it like Mr. Richardson, right?"

"Haha, I dare not say that I have an idea in Ericsson, but I can still do it by passing on Mr. Zhou Shuo's request."

"Nokia welcomes all efforts to promote GSM technology, and of course it will not brutally reject Mr. Zhou Shuo's request."

"That's great!" Zhou Shuo smiled happily: "Fanhan Group hopes to obtain a seat in the GSM Technology Standardization Alliance to support its promotion in China. For this reason, we hope to obtain a relatively preferential patent licensing fee and a part of the license exchange share."

"The patent fee can be negotiated, and this price needs to be determined by the person from GSMA. But the license exchange share, this..."

Ericsson's Nick Carter hesitated, looked at Nokia's Brian Little, and shook his head and said, "It may be difficult, because the license exchange share is for companies that have made special contributions in GSM technology and promotion. However, Fanhan Group has not yet achieved such results."

The so-called exchange of license shares is actually a more complex situation of patent cross-authorization. If both companies need the other party’s patent authorization, they can offset the patent fees from each other. I use your patent and you also use my patents. My brother won’t talk about the second brother.

But if there are too many companies joining this patent cross-licensing, it is like when human commodity trading develops currency from the barter stage.

The share of this license swap is the "currency" in the patent cross-licensing alliance.

Take the GSM Technology Standardization Alliance for example. Only five of the initiators can obtain license shares that do not need to pay patent authorization fees. However, this patent license is not unlimited. The number of products that these five companies can produce without paying patent authorization fees each year is determined based on their license exchange shares.

Fanhan Group wants to join the ranks of "bankers" of license exchange, and just thinking about it will be very difficult.

"Haha, if we can get the support of Ericsson and Nokia, I believe that the Panhan Group will soon achieve corresponding results."

Zhou Shuo stood up and poured a glass of wine for the two of them, connected the two documents on his desk, and placed them on the coffee table together. He smiled confidently and said, "Fanhan Group is a major group with an important position in China and has a wide influence in the electronics and telecommunications industries. The joining of Fanhan Group in GSMA is of great benefit to the promotion of GSM technology. The several technologies we currently have are even more important to the future development of GSM network."

"Crucial?" Nick Carter was stunned for a moment and shook his head, "Mr. Zhou Shuo may not know much about what "critical" technologies are there for the alliance's core patents..."

"Please check out our technical information."

Zhou Shuo interrupted Nick Carter's head with a smile, raised his hand and pointed to the folder on the coffee table. Although the corner of his mouth was smiling, his eyes were obviously afraid to refuse.

"Okay, let's take a look first." Nick Carter reluctantly picked up the folder on the coffee table and absent-mindedly opened the cover.

GSM technology, or the GSM standard, is a standard uniformly launched by the European Standardization Committee, which means that its craftsman is European. This can be seen from the initiating members of the GSM Technology Standardization Alliance that four of the five companies are European companies, and only one Motorola is an American company.

In terms of GSM technology, Europeans are very proud, and of course they cannot believe that a Chinese company will have the ability to be on par with itself.

Nick Carter and Brian Little were still relaxed and comfortable at first, then they sat upright, and then they frowned the more they looked at it, until the document turned to the last page—

Nick Carter held the technical information in his left hand and quickly picked up the wine glass from the coffee table with his right hand. Dongdongdong actually drank all the whiskey inside in one gulp! He put the wine glass back into the coffee table, shook the technical information in his hand, and asked in disbelief: "Mr. Zhou Shuo, are the written in this document true?"

"This is easy to verify. You just need to make a phone call, and I think the results will come out soon. Of course, if you can trust me, I can also provide a copy of the technical patent."

"I'd better call to confirm this." Nick Carter smiled awkwardly, but still took out his cell phone from his arms.

Brian Little nodded to Zhou Shuo, took out his cell phone and said, "Sorry, I need to make a call, too."

"Please give me some advice."

Zhou Shuo smiled slightly, took out a can of tea from the bar in the office, and slowly made tea for himself.

The two of them first shouted anxiously on the phone, and then began to read the patent number on the information, waiting for the other end of the phone to confirm before reading the next one.

After more than half an hour, both of their phones had already started to get hot and hot, so they had to finish the inquiry work. However, after this call, the two of them did not make their expressions easier, but their faces became even more ugly than when they were not making a call.

Nick Carter put the documents in his hand back on the coffee table, as if he was not putting down a document, but a check of 10 billion US dollars. Of course, in a sense, the class represented by this document is not just 10 billion US dollars. He swallowed, calmed down, and asked cautiously.
Chapter completed!