Mobile patents will soon go up for auction

We’ve all seen the world of mobile technology explode in recent years. Everything’s getting faster, better, and smaller with every attempt and with models like a HTC 4G Android Phone, it’s become a big business that’s finding its way into our huge economy. It’s a field where progress is measured in gigabytes and features and any edge is worth a lot. How much? Is the question on many people’s minds as Nortel Networks is being prepared to be auctioned off.

Nortel Networks, the former Canadian high-tech giant is being sold off piece by piece. The company used to be a leader of research and development in the telecom industry but no longer. The company has over six thousand different patents that it currently holds and it’s going to auction them off. Many have already thrown their hat into the ring and the sale is likely to be huge. In fact, Google has already said that it would bid as high as 900 million for the U.S. and international patents. The patents that Google is focusing on deal, primarily, with mobile video and wireless networks. This has proven to be lucrative as buyers are already lining up to get a piece of the action.

Some estimates have said that the bidding could easily top the 1 billion mark, which is a high price but it seems any advantage over the competition is worth it. It’s not that far-fetched of a figure given that the sales of Nortel’s other assets have already totaled out to over 3.2 billion. Much of this has come from other areas but Google seems to the top competitor.

Consumers have watched in recent years Google and Apple duke it out for the top spot and, so far, Apple has come out on top. This is one fact that could very well change. Newer and better mobile devices are hitting the market, what seems like, every week and the gap is lessening. The technology is getting better and better and it’s perhaps this reason why Google is showing particular interest in gaining the smartphone sector of Nortel. Google is hoping to further boost its Android operating system that’s already made substantial gains.

It’s not clear as to who will come out on top. Apple, Intel, as well as Microsoft are reported to be interested in acquiring the patents. They may not be vocal about it but they’re involved in the bidding in one way or another. Either way, this auction presents, to the parties involved, a potential turning point for dominance in the mobile device and technology market. It doesn’t really matter to the average person who wins out in the end. Whoever gains the top spot, the competition is going to be big and when companies compete, innovation happens. When innovation happens, we all generally win out. Smartphones are cheaper than ever and it’s only because there’s a constant drive to improve efficiency and cost. It’s a win-win situation all around.