As we saw in our previous report, 5G SEP declaration activities have been rising over the last six or seven months. Due to this new trend, we are set to expect a dramatic change in the rankings within a month. To keep up with the latest trends more efficiently, we at WISPRO track and analyze the data retrieved by ETSI on a monthly basis — stay tuned for the latest insights!
The data scope for this report is for US, WO, and CN patent applications (excluding US provisional patent applications) declared to ETSI in June and July 2019.
5G ETSI Declaration Activity:June and July 2019
The charts above show that NTT DOCOMO, Samsung, Intel, InterDigital, and Huawei are the Top 5 5G SEP declarers for June and July. What stands out the most is that NTT DOCOMO declared over 700 SEPs.
The interactive dashboard also details the number of declared patent families for each Technical Specification. The Top 3 for June and July are:
- TS38.213 (Physical Layer Procedures for Control);
- TS38.331 (Radio Resource Control);
- TS38.214 (NR; Physical layer procedures for data).
5G SEP Declaration Activity: The Rankings
Overview
Top 10 Owner
Technology standard vs Declared SEPs
Now, let’s take a look at the accumulated rankings: it became apparent to us immediately that Huawei has been at the top of the list for the number of declared SEPs for the third consecutive month, with Samsung, LG, Nokia, ZTE completing the Top 5.
Moreover, if we only consider the quantity of declared 5G SEP families, the benchmark for entering the Top 10 increased from last month’s 648 patent families (declared by Intel) to 756 patent families (declared by CATT).
By comparing this report’s bar chart with the bar chart that we published in May, we have discovered that NTT DOCOMO has rapidly climbed up the rankings to position 8 within just two months, let’s not forget that NTT DOCOMO was not even on the list three months ago.
News Highlight of the Month
“Apple and Intel have signed an agreement for Apple to acquire the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business. Approximately 2,200 Intel employees will join Apple, along with intellectual property, equipment, and leases.”
According to the press release published on July 25, 2019, a huge number of Intel’s patents or patent applications are expected to be transferred to Apple. This will quickly make the Cupertino giant a highly influential 5G SEP owner. Therefore, we can expect Apple to gain a significantly strong position in the rankings in the not-too-distant future.
So far, over thirty companies have submitted 566 declarations, with a grand total of almost 38,000 applications. With the numbers increasing in this manner, the threshold for entering the Top 10 is getting higher and higher. As we mentioned earlier, each company’s ranking may increase or decrease sporadically: since the SEP ownership is not static, it’s necessary to constantly monitor the changes. Keep following us and our reports for up to date, first-hand insights.
Data disclaimer: We have used commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the data provided is complete and has been obtained from reliable sources. The information contained in this report is current as of the date of this report and may not reflect any circumstances that occur after such date. This report is not intended as legal advice. All information is provided “as-is” and we make no representation or warranty of any kind. We will not be liable for any lost profits, revenues, indirect, special consequential, exemplary or punitive damages resulting from this report.
