LG to License Handset Technology Patents

BTexact, BT's research, technology and IT operations business, and South Korea's LG Electronics have announced the signing of both companies' largest intellectual property deal to date.

This deal involves the sale of BTexact's voice activity detector (VAD) patents to LGE. A VAD detects the presence or absence of voice to prolong battery life in the mobile devices, increase the capacity of the network and to solve other numerous problems encountered in mobile communications. BTexact developed a VAD in the late 1980s that incorporates a patented invention making it simpler than its rivals. This simplicity led to BTexact's patented VAD being selected for use in various telecommunication standards including the GSM standard.

The second family of patents sold to LGE covers a BTexact invention from the early 1990s: an improvement to the VAD, which further enabled detection of signalling tones or information tones (such as an engaged tone). Again, BTexact's patented solution was simple and was selected for incorporation into the various telecommunication standards.

BTexact and LGE have also entered into a cross-licensing deal. This cross-licence will enable LGE to use patents from BTexact's extensive patent portfolio to further develop its offerings in the mobile communications market and will enable BTexact to use LGE's patent portfolio to further develop its range of products and services."

Posted to the site on 30th May 2003