Following Google’s approval to bid for Nortel patents, Apple has also gotten its go-ahead, reports Reuters. US antitrust regulators from the FTC have approved Apple’s request to bid on Nortel assets.
Apple, Google, Intel and Ericsson are all interested in the patents and assets that were possessed by bankrupt telecom company Nortel Networks. Those patents include wireless, data and optical networking, as well as semiconductors and other technology.
According to Reuters, the Justice Department had been reviewing Apple’s interest in the Nortel assets along with Google’s $900 million opening bid.
The most likely target for both Apple and Google are patents that have to do with 4G and LTE technologies. Several devices running Google’s Android OS currently feature 4G technology. Apple’s current iPhone 4 does not, but many consider a future iPhone that runs on the LTE network a fairly safe bet.
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