What Huawei’s Wi‑Fi Patent Deal With HP Gives Each Company

Huawei Technologies and HP Inc. announced a multiyear, global patent cross-licensing agreement on August 26, 2026. The deal covers Wi‑Fi technology, including the latest Wi‑Fi 7 standard, and gives each company access to specified patents held by the other. 125

What HP can use

The agreement grants HP a licence to use certain Huawei Wi‑Fi patents in its PCs and other Wi‑Fi-connected products. The public announcement does not identify every patent covered or provide a complete technical scope, so it should not be read as a blanket licence to Huawei’s entire Wi‑Fi portfolio. 459

The coverage includes technology associated with Wi‑Fi 7. Because Wi‑Fi capabilities are built into connected computers and other devices, the licence applies to the relevant products rather than creating a new HP hardware line or joint product. 11323

How the cross-licence works

This is a reciprocal arrangement: HP receives access to certain Huawei patents, while Huawei receives access to HP patents. The companies did not disclose the specific HP patents involved or the agreement’s full financial terms. 12

Some reports said HP would pay Huawei a balancing fee for access to the Wi‑Fi technology, but the amount was not disclosed. 821 The safest public description is therefore a paid, multiyear patent cross-licence whose detailed economics remain private.

Why HP called it routine

HP characterized the agreement as a standard-essential patent licence for widely used Wi‑Fi technology. It said the arrangement was routine for companies whose products connect to Wi‑Fi and did not represent a broader strategic or commercial relationship, partnership or collaboration with Huawei. 311

That distinction matters: the announcement concerns intellectual-property rights needed for products using standardized wireless technology. It does not announce a new device, a supply agreement or a joint business venture. 1123

How Alan Fan described the deal

Alan Fan, Huawei’s chief intellectual-property officer, called the agreement “a strong testament” to Huawei’s persistent independent innovation in cutting-edge information and communications technology. He also said patent licensing enables Huawei to share its innovations—particularly standardized technologies—with industry and consumers globally. 715

In practical terms, Fan presented the agreement as recognition of Huawei’s contribution to standardized ICT technology, while HP framed it as an ordinary licensing transaction. Those descriptions are not mutually exclusive: the deal can acknowledge the value of Huawei’s patents without signaling a wider commercial partnership.