Apple owes more than $700M in standard-essential patent royalties and interest to licensing firm Optis: England & Wales Court of Appeal

Patents relating to 4G apparently.

Why are we building our global communication networks on patented IP that has to be licensed anyway? Isn't this a huge barrier to entry to the telecommunications market for new businesses? Why is the market artificially protected in this way?

Lobbyists and bribes; I bet the answer is lobbyists and bribes.