5G Security Patent Landscape in 2026
Samsung Electronics commands an outsized position in 5G security patenting, holding more than three times the families of its nearest rival Ericsson, while the top five filers account for 53% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. The field reached its annual peak in 2021 and has eased since, though publication lag means the most recent years remain under-counted.
Samsung leads a heavily concentrated field with a substantial tier gap below
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. sits at the top of the applicant ranking with 1,211 patent families — more than three times the 352 patent families filed by second-ranked Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Huawei Technologies, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile US round out the top five, each holding between 105 and 159 patent families.
The top five filers collectively account for 53% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, reflecting a highly concentrated competitive structure. A pronounced tier gap separates Samsung from all other applicants; the remaining top-ten players cluster between 64 and 159 patent families, indicating meaningful but not dominant secondary positions.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. | 1,211 | |
| 2 | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson | 352 | |
| 3 | Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | 159 | |
| 4 | Qualcomm Inc. | 129 | |
| 5 | T-Mobile US Inc. | 105 | |
| 6 | Nokia Technologies Oy | 89 | |
| 7 | Apple Inc. | 80 | |
| 8 | Palo Alto Networks Inc. | 67 | |
| 9 | AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P | 67 | |
| 10 | Cisco Technology Inc. | 64 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | InterDigital Patent Holdings Inc. | 63 | |
| 12 | Oracle International Corporation | 59 | |
| 13 | China Mobile Communications Group Co. Ltd. | 57 | |
| 14 | China United Network Communications Group Co. Ltd. | 55 | |
| 15 | Intel Corporation | 54 | |
| 16 | NEC Corporation | 51 | |
| 17 | NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY | 50 | |
| 18 | China Telecom Corporation Ltd. | 45 | |
| 19 | ZTE Corporation | 42 | |
| 20 | T-Mobile Innovations LLC | 38 |
Samsung’s scale implies broad freedom to operate and strong licensing leverage across core wireless security protocols. Challengers such as Ericsson, Nokia, and Qualcomm hold defensible positions in standards-adjacent technology but would need substantial additional filing to close the gap with the leader.
Counts for the most recent 18–24 months are likely under-stated due to typical patent publication delays; the apparent recent decline should not be read as a definitive measure of current R&D activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing peaked in 2021; wireless network security dominates the technology mix
Two charts together capture the pace of activity and the underlying technology focus: annual filing volume tracks the field’s lifecycle, while IPC branch composition reveals where inventive effort is concentrated and where adjacent opportunities remain relatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew sharply from 157 families in 2017 to a peak of 688 in 2021, then eased to 630 in 2022 and 559 in 2023. Figures for 2024 and 2025 are materially under-counted due to publication lag and should not be read as a continuation of genuine decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H04W (Wireless communication networks) dominates the technology mix, reflecting the core focus on cellular authentication, access control, and radio-layer security. H04L (Digital information transmission) is a substantial secondary branch, while G06F (Electric digital data processing), H04B, and G06N (AI models) represent lower-share adjacent areas where filing density is notably thinner.
↗ 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.
Authentication mechanism for 5G technologies
Embodiment mutual authentication and security agreement (MASA) protocols may use independently generated integrity and/or encryption keys to securely communicate private information exchanged between UEs and various network-side devices (e.g., base stations, MMEs, HSSs, etc.). In particular, embodiment MASA protocols may use an initial authentication… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Industrial Automation with 5G and Beyond | 735 |
| 2 | Connecting to Virtualized Mobile Core Networks | 395 |
| 3 | 5g network slicing with distributed ledger traceab… | 236 |
| 4 | Methods, systems, kits and apparatuses for providi… | 155 |
| 5 | Methods for supporting session continuity on per-s… | 145 |
| 6 | Apparatus and method for providing device-to-devic… | 145 |
| 7 | Group based context and security for massive inter… | 139 |
| 8 | Method and apparatus for pairing a wearable device… | 128 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a past-peak lifecycle, high concentration at the top, active cross-entity collaboration, and US-China jurisdiction dominance shapes where meaningful differentiation remains accessible to new and existing entrants.
Field is past its 2021 peak; incremental innovation now dominates
The lifecycle evidence places 5G security in Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2021 peak. The multi-year filing window still reflects a substantial accumulated body of prior art, meaning new entrants face dense freedom-to-operate challenges in core wireless authentication and access-control areas. R&D investment should prioritize differentiated claim scope — particularly in adjacent branches — rather than crowded core protocol space.
Past-peak · 2021 highExtreme top-of-table concentration; secondary tier is still contestable
The top five filers hold 53% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and Samsung alone holds 1,211 patent families — more than the next four combined. Below rank five, players such as Nokia Technologies, Apple, Palo Alto Networks, and Cisco each hold between 64 and 89 patent families, representing a contestable secondary tier. New entrants with focused, high-quality filing strategies in under-served branches can realistically challenge secondary-tier incumbents without confronting Samsung’s scale directly.
High concentrationCo-filing is internal or tightly scoped; academia links are selective
The most active co-filing relationships are Samsung Electronics with Beijing Samsung Communications Technology Research (3 joint families) and AT&T Intellectual Property with AT&T Mobility II (3 joint families), reflecting intra-group coordination rather than broad open-innovation ecosystems. Huawei has co-filed with Tsinghua University (2 families) and with State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power entities, signalling selective applied-research and critical-infrastructure partnerships. Samsung also co-filed with Sungkyunkwan University (2 families), reflecting an academic link. The relatively low co-filing counts indicate that 5G security IP development remains largely proprietary.
Mostly intra-groupUS and China lead filing coverage; Europe and PCT are significant secondary routes
The United States is the leading jurisdiction by patent-record count, followed closely by China, with Europe (EPO) and WIPO PCT filings representing important secondary protection routes. India has emerged as a notable filing destination, ahead of Japan and South Korea in record count. For any new entrant, US and Chinese prosecution should be prioritized; European coverage via EPO is standard practice among the leading applicants.
US · China · EPOGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. | Beijing Samsung Communications Technology Research 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 |
| Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. | Sungkyunkwan University | 2 |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | Tsinghua University | 2 |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | Nokia USA Inc. | 2 |
| AT&T知识产权一部有限合伙公司 | INTERWISE CO LTD | 2 |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co. Ltd. Hangzhou Power Supply Company | 1 |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co. Ltd. | 1 |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | China Mobile Group Zhejiang Co. Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Samsung dominates core wireless security; Ericsson leads the standards-aligned challenger tier
The two largest filers differ in scale but share a concentration on H04W 12 (wireless network security functions), with secondary emphasis on H04L 9 (cryptographic protocols). Momentum data show broad moderation across all top filers consistent with the post-peak lifecycle.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Holding 1,211 patent families, Samsung’s portfolio is concentrated in H04W 12 (wireless network security — 1,120 records) and H04W 8 (subscriber management — 389 records), with substantial coverage in H04L 9 (cryptography — 345 records). Recent-window filing shows a moderated trend of -14% versus the prior period, consistent with the post-2021 field-wide easing rather than a strategic withdrawal.
patent families: 1,211Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
Ericsson ranks second with 352 patent families, focused on H04W 12 (331 records), H04W 36 (handover security — 101 records), and H04L 9 (cryptography — 97 records), reflecting a strong standards-driven position in mobility and session-continuity security. Recent-window filings are down -69% versus the prior period, a steeper moderation than Samsung’s, suggesting Ericsson may be consolidating rather than expanding its 5G security portfolio.
patent families: 352| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. | 398 | ▼ -14% |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson | 55 | ▼ -69% |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | 42 | ▼ -40% |
| Qualcomm Inc. | 25 | ▼ -73% |
| T-Mobile US Inc. | 27 | ▼ -61% |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | 28 | ▼ -7% |
| Apple Inc. | 22 | ▼ -54% |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. | 15 | ▼ -63% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant wireless security core
While H04W and H04L absorb the vast majority of 5G security filing activity, several adjacent IPC branches show materially lower filing density. These observations reflect relative sparsity; they represent potential entry points where technical value and realistic application overlap with 5G security use cases.
G06N · AI-driven security models
With 109 patent records against the dominant H04W branch’s 4,069, G06N (Computing based on AI models) is a notably under-served adjacent branch in the corpus. AI-based anomaly detection, intrusion prediction, and adaptive authentication for 5G networks carry plausible technical value as networks grow more complex. An entrant with machine-learning security expertise could carve differentiated positions here without directly contesting the heavily occupied core wireless protocol space.
Search this in Eureka →G06Q · Business and administrative data processing security
G06Q (Business, commerce and administrative data processing) shows 79 patent records in the corpus — sparse relative to the core. 5G enables new enterprise and financial transaction security contexts (e.g., network slicing for banking, secure edge commerce) where G06Q-classified innovations could address real gaps. The relatively low incumbent density makes this branch accessible to players with cross-domain security expertise, though commercial viability depends on demonstrating technical differentiation beyond generic business-method claims.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology sub-routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H04W 12 · Wireless communication networks | H04L 9 · Digital information transmission | H04W 8 · Wireless communication networks | H04W 4 · Wireless communication networks | H04W 76 · Wireless communication networks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. | Strong · 1,120 | Moderate · 345 | Moderate · 389 | Emerging · 195 | Moderate · 259 |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson | Strong · 331 | Moderate · 97 | Emerging · 46 | Emerging · 22 | Emerging · 27 |
| Qualcomm Inc. | Strong · 126 | Moderate · 27 | Moderate · 32 | Emerging · 25 | Moderate · 26 |
| Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. | Strong · 155 | Moderate · 53 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 10 |
| T-Mobile US Inc. | Strong · 89 | Strong · 46 | Moderate · 27 | Emerging · 9 | Absent |
| AT&T Intellectual Property I L.P. | Strong · 57 | Moderate · 18 | Moderate · 14 | Moderate · 15 | Moderate · 16 |
| Apple Inc. | Strong · 71 | Absent | Moderate · 17 | Emerging · 13 | Emerging · 13 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 4,244 patent families globally. This total reflects the defined search scope and should be treated as the baseline for concentration and trend analysis.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. leads with 1,211 patent families — more than three times the 352 patent families of second-ranked Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Huawei Technologies, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile US follow in the top five.
Annual filing peaked in 2021 at 688 families and has eased since. The lifecycle is classified as Decline, with annual volume moderating from that peak. Recent-year counts (2024–2025) are under-stated due to publication lag.
The United States leads by patent-record count, followed closely by China. Europe (EPO) and WIPO PCT are significant secondary routes. India has emerged as a notable filing destination, ahead of Japan and South Korea.
Co-filing is largely intra-group or tightly scoped. The most active pairs are Samsung Electronics with Beijing Samsung Communications Technology Research (3 joint families), AT&T Intellectual Property with AT&T Mobility II (3 joint families), and Huawei Technologies with Tsinghua University (2 joint families). Open cross-industry collaboration is limited.
G06N (AI models) at 109 patent records and G06Q (Business and administrative data processing) at 79 patent records are notably sparse relative to the dominant H04W branch. H04B (Transmission, general) at 123 records and H04M (Telephonic communication) at 82 records are also adjacent branches with lower filing density compared to the core wireless security focus.
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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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