Patent platform Avanci has introduced a single licence agreement for cellular technologies that aims to simplify the roll out of 5G connected cars for automobile makers.

It launched its 5G connected vehicle licensing programme on 16 August, with Mercedes Benz signing up becoming its first automaker licensee; the 5G vehicle platform has 58 licensors including Philips, Sony, Samsung and Huawei.

The licence covers thousands of patented technologies essential for implementing cellular connectivity. 

Avanci already has a 4G vehicle licence, which has more than 130m connected vehicles on the world’s roads from more than 80 automotive brands.

Avanci is also offering an early licensee pricing rate, for a licence signed before 16 February 2024 ($29 as opposed to $32 per vehicle).

Avanci’s platforms are an option for owners of essential patented technology to jointly offer a licence to their patented inventions in a single agreement, and for companies who require a licence to those inventions to obtain that joint license on a set of standard terms with transparent pricing.

Founder and CEO, Kasim Alfalahi, said ‘by simplifying technology access, we enable companies to build exciting new products". 

The Avanci 5G Vehicle program covers patented technologies essential for 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G connectivity, including cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) which enables vehicles to directly communicate with other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and transportation infrastructure.

Director of automotive connected mobility at analyst firm TechInsights, Roger Lanctot, said that the transition from 4G technology to 5G will be “unlike any prior wireless changeover”.  For the first time, automakers are facing an industry transformation touching on all aspects of vehicle development and sales, and car ownership.

TechInsights forecasts that the share of 5G connected vehicles will grow to over 50% of new vehicle production in 5 years’ time.