Qualcomm, Oppo patent deal

Qualcomm has added Chinese mobe-maker Oppo to its list of licensees in the Middle Kingdom, as part of the company's attempts to set things right with local regulators.

While terms of the deal are confidential, the chip designer says they're “consistent” with the near-billion-dollar 2015 deal it struck with local regulators over its licensing practices.

Oppo will be using Qualcomm's technology in 3G and 4G devices, Qualcomm said, including three-mode units that support GSM, LTE-TDD and LTE-SCDMA.

The deal wraps up a company IDC recently tagged as the number-four smartphone manufacturer worldwide, shipping 18.4 million units in the first quarter of 2016.

While Qualcomm's announcement bullishly said the company has 100 customers in China, the territory can still be troublesome: it's filed a complaint against another vendor, Meizo, for patent infringement. ®