5G Conformance & OTA Testing Patent Landscape 2026
Samsung Electronics holds a commanding lead in 5G conformance and OTA testing IP, with the top five filers accounting for just over half of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, and wireless network monitoring remains the dominant technical route.
Samsung leads a concentrated but broadening field
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd ranks first with 76 patent families, more than three times the output of the second-ranked filer, Huawei Technologies, which holds 20 patent families. The top five applicants — Samsung, Huawei, T-Mobile US, DISH Wireless, and. China Mobile — collectively account for 51% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total.
The tier gap between Samsung and the rest of the field is the defining structural feature: no single challenger approaches Samsung’s scale, and the mid-tier applicants (7–12 patent families each) are separated from one another by only a few filings. This suggests Samsung has durable IP depth while challengers compete on focused, narrower positions.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 76 | |
| 2 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 20 | |
| 3 | T-Mobile US, Inc. | 12 | |
| 4 | DISH Wireless LLC | 10 | |
| 5 | China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 10 | |
| 6 | Charter Communications Operating LLC | 7 | |
| 7 | AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P | 6 | |
| 8 | China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 9 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 4 | |
| 10 | China Telecom Corporation Limited | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | China Mobile Group Guangdong Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 12 | Apple Inc. | 3 | |
| 13 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 3 | |
| 14 | AT&T MOBILITY II LLC | 3 | |
| 15 | MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC R&D CENTRE EUROPE BV | 3 | |
| 16 | INSTR TECH & ECONOMY INST P R CHINA | 2 | |
| 17 | Beifang Weijiamao Coal Power Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 18 | China Mobile Group Inner Mongolia Co., Ltd. Ordos Branch | 2 | |
| 19 | Huaxin Consulting Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 20 | Intel Corporation | 2 |
Samsung’s commanding lead, reinforced by a recent filing momentum of +105% versus the prior period, signals active prosecution that is likely to widen the gap further before prosecution lag clears the backlog. Challengers entering the space as new entrants — including T-Mobile US, DISH Wireless, and. China Mobile — indicate that network operators are now building their own IP positions alongside equipment makers.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 are understated due to standard patent publication lag of 18–24 months; the apparent slowdown in those years should not be read as a real decline in innovation activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth with a 2022 peak and a wireless-centric technology mix
The filing trend and technology composition charts together show a field that expanded rapidly through 2022 and remains active, dominated by wireless network monitoring and digital transmission IP.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings grew from 3 in 2017 to a peak of 57 in 2022, reflecting the acceleration of 5G deployment and associated test-infrastructure buildout. Volumes retreated to 37 in 2023 and 27 in 2024; figures for 2024–2026 are understated by publication lag and should not be interpreted as a sustained decline. The three-year recent window sits 55% above the prior three-year window, confirming continued multi-year expansion despite the post-peak easing.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H04W (Wireless communication networks) is the dominant branch, reflecting the network-performance-monitoring core of 5G OTA testing. H04L (Digital information transmission) and H04B (Transmission, general) form a secondary cluster, while antenna-related work under H01Q and measurement under G01R remain sparse relative to the activity in the wireless protocol branches.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) over-the-air (…
An MPAC OTA test system and method are provided that can be used to perform radiated testing of 5G BSs and 5G UEs. The arrangement and number of active probe antennas in the anechoic chamber can be selected based at least in part on a simulation of the channel model of the RC emulator to improve testing while also reducing the overall number of probe… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5G基站智能化节能方法 | 46 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus for detecting service and ana… | 38 |
| 3 | 一种基于神经网络的5G网络自动评估系统、方法及装置 | 24 |
| 4 | Apparatus and methods for phase noise mitigation i… | 20 |
| 5 | Multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) over-the-air (… | 20 |
| 6 | Method and device for providing network analysis i… | 16 |
| 7 | TCP proxy device-assisted communication method and… | 16 |
| 8 | 多探头电波暗室(MPAC)空中(OTA)测试系统和方法 | 14 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
The competitive and technical structure of this landscape points to a growth-stage field dominated by one incumbent, with meaningful white space in adjacent hardware and AI branches and an emerging operator-IP dynamic worth tracking.
Growth stage — multi-year expansion, easing from 2022 peak
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth: the recent three-year filing window is 55% above the prior three-year window. Annual volume has eased from the 2022 peak of 57 filings, consistent with a post-standardization consolidation rather than decline. New entrants from the operator side suggest the field is still attracting first-time filers, which is characteristic of an expanding rather than mature patent ecosystem.
Growth stageHigh top-tier concentration; open mid-tier
Samsung’s 76 patent families represent a position that is difficult to challenge directly. The top five filers account for 51% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, but the mid-tier applicants hold single-digit to low double-digit family counts, meaning targeted, differentiated filing in adjacent branches could establish a defensible niche without a head-on confrontation with the leader.
High concentrationCo-filing concentrated within corporate groups and one equipment duo
The most active co-filer pair is China Mobile Communications Group with its Guangdong subsidiary, with 3 joint filings, matched in count by AT&T Intellectual Property I L.P. co-filing with AT&T Mobility II LLC, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation co-filing with Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe B.V. China Mobile also co-files with its Design Institute, Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, and Shanghai subsidiaries. The pattern indicates that cross-company collaboration is limited; most joint filings reflect intra-group coordination.
Intra-group co-filingChina and the US lead filing jurisdictions; Europe and India active
China is the leading filing jurisdiction, followed closely by the United States and the European Patent Office. India and WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants pursuing international protection beyond the primary markets. Canada, Germany, South Korea, Austria, and the United Kingdom each show minor but non-zero presence, consistent with applicants seeking coverage across major 5G deployment markets.
Tri-regional exposureGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Guangdong Co., Ltd. | 3 |
| AT&T知识产权一部有限合伙公司 | AT&T移动第二有限责任公司 | 3 |
| Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe B.V. | 3 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Design Institute Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Sichuan Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Heilongjiang Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Shaanxi Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Shanghai Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Samsung leads on scale; challengers differ sharply by technical focus
Two tiers are clearly visible: Samsung as a dominant incumbent with accelerating filings concentrated in wireless network monitoring, and a group of challengers with narrower, often operator-side or transmission-focused portfolios.
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics holds 76 patent families, the largest position in the corpus by a wide margin. Its technology focus is tightly concentrated in H04W wireless network monitoring and management (sub-classes H04W24, H04W88, H04W92), reflecting deep investment in 5G network conformance protocols. Recent filing momentum stands at +105% versus the prior three-year period, indicating active and accelerating prosecution.
families: 76Huawei Technologies
Huawei Technologies holds 20 patent families and is the only challenger with double-digit scale. Its focus is similarly anchored in H04W24 wireless network monitoring, with secondary positions in H04L digital transmission and H04W16 network planning. However, recent filing momentum shows a decline of –27% versus the prior period, suggesting Huawei’s OTA testing IP activity has contracted while Samsung’s has grown.
families: 20| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 45 | ▲ +105% |
| Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 8 | ▼ -27% |
| T-Mobile US, Inc. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| DISH Wireless LLC | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Charter Communications Operating LLC | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| AT&T知识产权一部有限合伙公司 | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the wireless protocol core
Several IPC branches appear at low share relative to the dominant H04W cluster; where technical relevance to OTA testing is clear, they represent under-served areas that could reward focused filing.
H01Q · Antennas
With 12 patent records against 209 in the dominant H04W branch, antenna-specific IP represents a sparse but technically central area for OTA testing: multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) configurations are explicitly cited among the most-cited references in this corpus. DISH Wireless is the only top-tier applicant with a visible antenna focus (H01Q3). An entrant with antenna measurement or beamforming calibration expertise could establish a differentiated position without competing directly in the crowded wireless protocol space.
Search this in Eureka →G01R · Electric & magnetic measurement
Only 4 patent records fall under G01R (Electric and magnetic measurement), making it the sparsest branch with direct relevance to OTA and conformance test instrumentation. Test and measurement vendors — a category with minimal visible presence among the top applicants — would naturally occupy this branch. The low count may reflect a gap in instrumentation-layer IP rather than low commercial relevance, making it an observation worth investigating for firms developing physical-layer test equipment.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 230 patent families. This is the total used for lifecycle, trend, and applicant ranking analysis in this report.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd leads with 76 patent families, which is more than three times the count of the second-ranked filer, Huawei Technologies, at 20 patent families.
China leads all jurisdictions, followed by the United States and the European Patent Office. India and WIPO PCT filings are the next largest groups, indicating that leading applicants are pursuing multi-regional protection strategies.
The field is classified as Growth. The recent three-year filing window is 55% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has eased since; figures for 2024–2026 are further understated by publication lag and should not be read as a real decline.
H04W (Wireless communication networks) is the dominant branch by a large margin. H04L (Digital information transmission) and H04B (Transmission, general) form a secondary cluster. Antenna work (H01Q), electric and magnetic measurement (G01R), and AI-based computing (G06N) are comparatively sparse, each representing roughly 1–3% of patent records in the corpus.
Yes. T-Mobile US, DISH Wireless, China Mobile, Charter Communications, and AT&T all appear in the applicant ranking, and several are classified as new entrants in the recent filing period, indicating that operators are moving beyond equipment vendors to establish their own conformance and testing IP.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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