A surprise development happened today in the process to auction off some 6,000 Nortel patents.
The company announced the auction will be put off until June 27.
According to a statement from Nortel, the auction was delayed "for reasons relating to the significant level of interest."
So far, only Google has said it's bidding. The company started the process several weeks ago with a $900 million bid.
There are reports that Research in Motion and Ericsson, along with RPX—a patent licensing firm in the U.S.—and Microsoft, may enter the bidding war.
The patents cover a broad spectrum of key technologies, however, Microsoft, HP, Nokia, Motorola, AT&T and Verizon have all filed objections in bankruptcy court arguing that the sale would give the winner an unfair competitive advantage over its rivals.
Microsoft signed a deal five years ago to license some Nortel patents. They want the courts to make sure that they keep those license rights no matter which company ends up owning the patents.
Analysts speculate the cost of the patents will soar past the $1 billion mark.
