Huawei Earns Over $600 Million From Patent Licensing in 2024

Patent monetization has become a powerful way for businesses—and even investors—to generate extra revenue. Among the many approaches, Huawei patent licensing stands out as the most profitable, and big tech companies often make massive amounts through it, sometimes even more than their core operations. Following the same path, Huawei recently announced something big: it earned more than $600 million from patent licensing alone in 2024. That’s a huge number, and it shows how strong its IP strategy has become. Keep reading to understand how Huawei patent licensing strategies helped them hit such impressive figures.

When Did Huawei Officially Disclose Its 2024 Patent Licensing Revenue?

Before diving into Huawei patent licensing strategy, it’s important to understand what patent licensing actually is. Simply, it’s a business deal where the patent owner lets another company use its patented technology while still keeping full ownership. The buyer gets the right to use the invention, and the patent holder earns steady revenue from it. 

Now, coming to Huawei, the company made a big announcement at its 6th Innovation & Intellectual Property (IP) Forum in Beijing on November 11, 2025. It revealed that it earned around US$630 million from patent licensing in 2024. What makes this even more impressive is that Huawei has historically paid almost three times more in royalties to others than it has received. So hitting this number shows a major shift. It means Huawei’s patents are becoming extremely valuable, its technology is in high demand, and it’s building a strong new revenue stream outside its core business. This boost in licensing income also strengthens Huawei’s influence in global tech standards. Overall, it’s a huge win and a perfect example of how powerful patent monetization can be when it’s done right—sometimes the results are bigger than anyone expects.

How Does Huawei Patent Licensing Work and Which Companies Use Its Technology?

Now let’s talk about Huawei’s licensing model. While the company doesn’t publicly reveal every detail, we can understand a lot by looking at its recent deals. Huawei licenses a huge range of technologies—mainly in cellular communications like 4G and 5G, Wi-Fi and connectivity standards, and multimedia/video codec tech. In the last few years, it has signed several major licensing and cross-licensing agreements, such as:

• One of the biggest is with Ericsson, where both companies renewed a global deal covering essential 3G, 4G, and 5G patents. 
• Huawei also has a long-term cross-license with Sharp for key 4G and 5G technologies. Amazon is another notable licensee, entering a multi-year agreement that includes Wi-Fi and video playback patents. 
• On the IoT side, Huawei signed a global licensing deal with EDMI for NB-IoT, LTE-M, and LTE Cat-1 technologies. 

These partnerships show just how widely Huawei’s innovations are used across telecom, consumer electronics, and IoT industries. Huawei works through both direct licensing and cross-licensing models—such as its patent agreement with Xiaomi, which covers multiple communication technologies. By the end of 2024, Huawei reported that over 2.7 billion 5G devices and 1.2 billion Wi-Fi devices were using its patented technologies, and that its licensee base includes 48 Fortune Global 500 companies.

Read Also: Qualcomm Patent Monetization Case Study and Its Impact on Company Growth

Conclusion

Huawei’s latest numbers make one thing very clear: patent licensing is becoming a powerful pillar of its business. Earning over US$600 million from licensing alone shows how valuable its technology has become and how strong its global influence now is. With major companies using its patents and billions of devices running on its innovations, Huawei’s IP strategy is clearly paying off. As the tech world continues to evolve, this approach not only strengthens Huawei’s position but also proves just how impactful smart patent monetization can be.