5G technology has been around for more than four years. The first 5G mobile phone was launched in April 2019, but until today, most people in the world still cannot enjoy 5G networks. According to Ericsson, by the end of 2022, only 35% of the global population will be covered by 5G, and this will climb to 85% by 2028.

With the popularization of 5G, 5G standard essential patents (SEPs) continue to increase, and the value of patents is also rising. In recent years, 5G patents have shown signs of blowout. Information disclosed by LexisNexis shows that as of July 2023, there are 131 independent 5G patent "holders" in the world, compared with only 32 in 2015.

All companies have obtained more than 60,000 5G patents around the world, and more than 30,000 in Europe and the United States. The number of 5G patents is increasing by about 5,000 every year. The top ten companies account for 76% of all patents. Although the giants have obvious advantages, 5G patents show a trend of fragmentation.

When making the 5G patent ranking list, LexisNexis analyzed three different categories and produced three different lists and a comprehensive ranking list.

TOP10 list

In the first list, LexisNexis referred to patent authorization information from the European Patent Office (European Patent Office) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (States Patent and Trademark Office). Ranking first is Huawei, followed by Qualcomm, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE, and OPPO. ZTE and OPPO share seventh place.

Apple, MediaTek, Xiaomi, Sony, and Intel also squeezed into the top 20. If the indicator P AI (Patent Asset Index) is taken into account, the ranking will change significantly. P AI values ​​the quality of patents, and some patents are of lower value.

If P AI is taken into account, a second list is produced. In this list, Huawei’s ranking fell behind Qualcomm and Samsung. LG ranked fourth and Nokia ranked seventh. InterDigital of the United States rose from 14th to 5th in the previous table, OPPO fell from 7th to 12th, ASUS rose from 22nd to 15th, BlackBerry rose from 34th to 23rd, and Kyocera rose from 27th. The ranking dropped to 36th, Deutsche Telekom dropped from 41st to 53rd, Langbo dropped from 24th to 40th, Cisco dropped from 56th to 45th, and Brevet Capital dropped from 45th to 45th. 33rd, Orage dropped from 56th to 74th.

TOP11-30 list

According to the report, after taking PAI into account, some companies dropped from high to low, mainly because although the number of 5G patents obtained by the company was large, the PAI was lower. The report believes that only about 10-20% of the declared 5G patents are truly "basic" patents.

In the third list, the report considers enterprises' contribution to 3GPP. The 5G standard is formulated by 3GPP. In this ranking, Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Samsung ranked in the top five. In the first two lists, Intel ranked 20th and 21st respectively, but in this list it ranks 7th, lagging behind ZTE.

TOP31-50 list

A comprehensive ranking can be obtained by combining the three lists. Huawei ranks first, followed by Qualcomm, Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia, LG, ZTE, OPPO, NTT, and InterDigital, which occupy the top 10. Among the top 50 companies, 12 companies are on the list from China, 10 from the United States, 7 from Japan, 6 from South Korea, and 6 from Taiwan. The Netherlands and Germany also have two companies on the list, and Sweden, Finland, France, Canada, and Ireland each have one company in the top 50.

Chinese companies account for 48% of all 5G standard basic patents. China has granted more than 26,000 5G patents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted 28,000 patents, and Europe has granted 15,000 patents. Please note that some companies use the same technology to obtain authorization in different countries and regions. China, the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea are the "Big Five" in 5G patents, with a total of 41,000 5G patents. (pocket knife)