Introduction
Almost all industrial sectors have been striving to
incorporate digitalization, wireless connectivity, automation, and IoT
throughout their processes. Considering this global transition, the 5G technology
has gained traction, leading to an increased prominence of standard-essential
patents (SEPs) during the past few years. Numerous globally established as well
as emerging companies, including Huawei, Qualcomm, Mediatek, Ericsson, Apple,
and Intel, have actively sought to secure 5G patents for their innovations in
diversified fields.
Global Synopsis of 5G Patent Landscape
Declarations of 75 companies accepted out of 122 companies
that are ferociously competing in the 5G patent landscape. Patent declarations
by 15,361 inventors are considered out of 31,450 inventors. The above figure
highlights the bifurcation of patent families based on the Essentiality Rank,
including 8,516 families falling under High Essentiality Rank and 16,090 under
Low Essentiality Rank. Globally 84,270 patents are active in 33 countries so
far.
ETSI SEP Yearly Declaration Count
ETSI is the leading data source of SEP declaration for 3GPP
standards. From 2016–2023, the count of declared simple families in 2020
peaked, reaching 12,153. The key reason behind this surge in the declaration is
the rapid deployment and adoption of 5G technology worldwide.
Essentiality Analysis of Simple Families
ETSI is the leading data source of SEP declaration for 3GPP
standards. From 2016–2023, the count of declared simple families in 2020
peaked, reaching 12,153. The key reason behind this surge in the declaration is
the rapid deployment and adoption of 5G technology worldwide.
Top Companies Filed for 5G Standard Essentiality Patents
Huawei is still leading the 5G SEP race in the number of
simple families declared, followed by Qualcomm, Samsung, and LG Electronics.
Currently, around 50 percent of simple families are declared by the top 5
companies.
Prominent Inventors Filing for Patent Applications Worldwide in the 5G Sector
Luo Tao from Qualcomm Inc. is spearheading 5G-related
inventions worldwide by filing 38,242 patent applications since 2016. Nagata
Satoshi from NTT Docomo—the Japanese mobile phone operator company—holds the
second position by filing over 32,232 patent applications.
Global Coverage
Apart from WIPO applications, most 5G SEP applications are
deployed in the U.S., followed by China and Europe in the 2nd and 3rd place.
SEP Declarations by fifteen 3GPP Tech Bodies
Looking at RAN1 and RAN2 working groups for 5G technology,
the five top companies are Huawei, Qualcomm, Samsung, LG Electronics, and ZTE;
with Huawei leading but only a tiny difference in rankings for RAN1 and RAN2.
SEP Declarations Based on 3GPP Specifications
Of 330 3GPP specifications in the 5G industry, the TS 38 331
(3GPP specification), titled NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC), leads in the
list covering over 25,999 simple families. Another trending 3GPP specification
for which most patents are being filed is Physical layer procedures for
control, covering more than 21,994 simple families.
