Mediatek and Qualcomm play nice

MOBILE CHIP DESIGNERS Qualcomm and Mediatek have inked a broad patent sharing deal.

The agreement will give both firms access to a range of each others wireless communication technologies, including CDMA and WCDMA patents and products.

Although no details were given about what the companies may be working on together, with Qualcomm's strength in communication technology and Mediatek's work in digital media processing, the combined efforts of the two firms could create a real powerhouse in the increasingly popular realm of media focused portable devices capable of streaming high quality content from online sources.

Despite the fact that Mediatek is a fabless semiconductor firm, it did stress that its customers will not have the same rights to access Qualcomm's patents and will need to obtain a separate license where necessary. µ