The cooperation of the EU and the US in the newly formed Trade and Technology Council aims to increase collaboration and converge mutual technological development and standardisation. In particular, the new 5G standard is expected to play a crucial role in enabling technical and business innovation in many markets, such as automotive, energy, food and agriculture, city management, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and public transportation. However, some of the challenges for the wider use of 5G are the appropriate pricing of technology in different markets and a suitable licensing framework for standard essential patents (SEPs). The tensions related to licensing SEPs has led to global disputes between the technology owners and users. Recently, the European Commission announced a legislative initiative for a fair and balanced licensing framework for SEPs for 2022.
The conference organised by the Florence School of Regulation – Communications & Media will bring together policymakers, people from the industry and academics to discuss the challenges and importance of 5G standard in shaping future market developments on both sides of the Atlantic.