The three largest US mobile carriers have beaten a patent claim aimed at the equipment that runs their wireless networks. A jury in Marshall, in the Eastern District of Texas, returned a unanimous verdict on 26 August in favour of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, as well as equipment makers Ericsson and Nokia, which had joined the case.
The plaintiffs, ASUS Technology Licensing, Innovative Sonic, Celerity IP and Taiwanese electronics maker ASUSTeK, had asked for $436 million, according to The Texas Lawbook. They filed the suit in 2023.
What was at stake
The carriers were accused of infringing through their use of Ericsson and Nokia network gear. The three patents covered small cell enhancements in wireless systems, control resource set configuration and the serving of quality-of-service flows. According to ip fray, the jury’s findings rested partly on invalidity and partly on non-infringement.
Ericsson and Nokia intervened to defend their products and their customers. Nokia said it would vigorously defend its products against unfounded accusations and welcomed the verdict.
Suing the carriers over their suppliers’ equipment drew the suppliers into the courtroom, and the strategy failed here.
Background
The case came after Nokia and ASUS settled a separate dispute over video patents in June 2026. Celerity, a licensing firm that works with ASUS and its Innovative Sonic affiliate, continued to sue customers of Nokia and Ericsson in East Texas, ip fray reported. The publication noted that Nokia has won a string of jury trials in the district in recent years, including a 2025 case against T-Mobile, Nokia and Ericsson brought by Daingean Technologies. The vendors have not always won at trial: a 2023 Texas jury awarded $166.3 million against Nokia in a case brought by Finesse, a verdict the Federal Circuit reversed in 2025.
What to watch
- Post-trial motions and any appeal by the plaintiffs to the Federal Circuit.
- Whether Celerity or ASUS pursue other carriers or vendors on related patents.
