Swedish telecom equipment giant Ericsson has filed a series of patent infringement lawsuits against Chinese smartphone manufacturer Transsion — makers of Tecno, Infinix and iTel phones — in India, Brazil, Nigeria and before the Unified Patent Court in Europe.
Ericsson accused Transsion of refusing to license its 4G and 5G standard-essential patents on Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms despite nearly ten years of negotiations.
“Despite almost a decade of discussions, Transsion continues to reject Ericsson’s FRAND offers while failing to enter into a global patent license agreement,” the company said in a recent statement.
Ericsson added that Transsion’s “perpetual delay tactics” were harmful to the industry. The telecom vendor argued that competitors who properly license its patents are placed at a disadvantage, thereby slowing telecom innovation and creating an anti-competitive environment.
Transsion, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is a major player in Africa and Eastern Asia and has expanded into Europe and South America. It is currently Ericsson’s last major global smartphone manufacturer operating without a license for its standard-essential patents.
IDC data shows that Transsion ranked fourth globally in Q3 2025 with 29.2 million smartphone shipments and a 9% market share.
Ericsson has recently reached or renewed patent agreements with several major manufacturers, including Oppo, Huawei, and Lenovo (parent company of Motorola Mobility). However, its IPR licensing revenue dropped to 3.1 billion Swedish crowns (~₹2,904.7 crore) in the third quarter of 2025.
Most of this revenue — 82% — came from the Networks segment.
The company said it still sees strong growth potential in patent licensing as smartphone adoption increases and new applications emerge. Optimising the value of future agreements remains a strategic priority.
Ericsson, which invests around $5 billion annually in research and development, holds more than 60,000 granted patents across its global portfolio.
Transsion Holdings isn’t just behind Tecno. Its other key subsidiaries include Infinix, a brand that builds smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, power banks and more. There’s itel, which focuses on entry-level and budget mobile phones. For after-sales support, they run Carlcare, providing servicing and repair for their devices. In accessories, there’s Oraimo, which makes power banks, chargers, earbuds, and other smart accessories. And in home electronics, they operate Syinix, producing TVs, refrigerators, and other household appliances.
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