The European Patent Office (EPO) has upheld a narrowed version of a patent on 3G technology rejecting claims from Nokia, HTC, Apple, Ericsson and Vodafone.
According to the patent owner IPCom, the patent is standard-essential within the UMTS and LTE standards, and its use is mandatory for 3G standards, PCWorld reports.
The patent describes the allocation of network access via the so-called Random Access Channel (RACH), allowing handsets access to the networks of the various mobile telecommunications providers, the report added.
IPCom said smartphones made by Nokia, HTC and others currently deviate from the UMTS 3G standard in their use of the RACH, claiming they did this to avoid paying license fees.
The technology described in the IPCom patent, originally developed by Bosch, is particularly important for the emergency services and police, since it can give them priority access to networks in emergencies, even if the networks are overloaded.