6G Security Patent Landscape 2026
The 6G security patent field is heavily concentrated around a single dominant filer, Samsung Electronics, which holds a commanding lead over all other applicants. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis following a surge that began in 2021, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak.
Samsung Electronics dominates a highly concentrated field
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is the clear market leader, ranking first with 414 patent families — a margin that dwarfs every other applicant. Intel Corp. ranks second with 13 patent families, followed by Huawei Technologies with 10, and the two AT&T entities each holding 9 patent families.
The top five filers collectively account for 77% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signaling an unusually tight concentration for an emerging technology field. The gap between Samsung and the second-ranked applicant is so large that no single challenger currently represents a credible short-term rival in filing volume.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 414 | |
| 2 | Intel Corporation | 13 | |
| 3 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 10 | |
| 4 | AT&T MOBILITY II LLC | 9 | |
| 5 | AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P | 9 | |
| 6 | Xidian University | 7 | |
| 7 | Nokia Technologies Oy | 6 | |
| 8 | EBOS Tech | 6 | |
| 9 | China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | 5 | |
| 10 | The Massengill Family Trust | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | China Mobile Communications Ltd. Research Institute | 4 | |
| 12 | The Third Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security | 3 | |
| 13 | Nanjing University | 3 | |
| 14 | KDDI Corporation | 3 | |
| 15 | NIMS University Rajasthan Jaipur | 3 | |
| 16 | SAVEETHA INST OF MEDICAL & TECH SCI | 2 | |
| 17 | Chengdu Technological University | 2 | |
| 18 | Suzhou University | 2 | |
| 19 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 2 | |
| 20 | Deutsche Telekom AG | 2 |
Samsung’s position implies deep, systematic investment in wireless security architecture for 6G — spanning air-interface security, cryptographic protocols, and network management — that will be difficult for later entrants to replicate quickly. The remaining top-tier players (Intel, Huawei, AT&T, Xidian University, Nokia) represent a secondary tier with markedly lower but still strategically relevant portfolios.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 are understated due to standard patent publication lag of 18–24 months; final tallies for those years will be higher than currently visible. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Explosive multi-year growth anchored in wireless and cryptographic security
The annual trend chart reveals a field that emerged from near-zero before 2021 and accelerated sharply, while the technology composition chart shows wireless network security as the dominant technical branch by a wide margin.
Annual filing trend
Filings were essentially absent before 2018 and remained negligible through 2020. A step-change occurred in 2021, with volume climbing steeply through 2022 and peaking in 2023. The apparent dip in 2024–2026 reflects publication lag, not a real decline; the field remains well above pre-2021 levels on a multi-year basis, representing growth of approximately 1,184% vs. the prior three-year window.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Wireless communication networks (H04W) and digital information transmission (H04L) together dominate the technical mix, reflecting that most 6G security work is centered on air-interface and protocol-layer security. Computing based on AI models (G06N), electric digital data processing (G06F), and general transmission (H04B) form a secondary cluster, while branches such as aeronautical systems (B64C), optical control (G02F), and IoT data processing (G16Y) are each represented by only a handful of records — underscoring how much headroom remains outside the core wireless-security domain.
↗ 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 and encryption method and device fo…
The present invention relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting higher data transmission rates. A method performed by a user plane function (UPF) entity in a communication system according to the present invention comprises the steps of: receiving a subscription request message including first authentication information from an external… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and system for detecting cyber-attacks usin… | 22 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus for enhancing security of mac… | 22 |
| 3 | Method and apparatus for accelerating data process… | 21 |
| 4 | Method and device for header compression or decomp… | 20 |
| 5 | Method and apparatus for configuring temporary use… | 16 |
| 6 | Method and device for initialization between user … | 14 |
| 7 | Method and apparatus for disaster roaming in a mob… | 12 |
| 8 | Security for distributed non-access stratum protoc… | 10 |
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 structural evidence means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of hyper-concentration, rapid recent growth, and thin coverage in AI-security and physical-layer branches points to both near-term competitive risk and actionable white-space. Engineers should weigh entry barriers in the dominant wireless-security core against the relatively open adjacent branches.
Growth stage — still expanding on a multi-year basis, past peak annual volume
The field is classified as Growth: recent three-year filings sit well above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though the most recent years are further understated by publication lag. Early standardization work is already densely patented; teams entering now should focus on next-generation protocol layers rather than re-litigating established access-security ground.
Growth stageSingle-player dominance creates both risk and opportunity for challengers
The top five filers hold 77% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, with Samsung alone accounting for the vast majority of that share. This degree of concentration is atypical for a pre-commercial standard. Challengers such as Intel, Huawei, Nokia, and Xidian University occupy a distant second tier, meaning that a focused, technically differentiated filing program in an adjacent branch could establish relative leadership without directly challenging Samsung’s wireless-security core.
High concentrationCo-filing is limited and primarily intra-group
The most active co-filing pair is AT&T Mobility II LLC and AT&T Intellectual Property I LP with 9 joint patent families, representing an intra-AT&T coordination rather than cross-industry alliance. China Mobile Communications Group and China Mobile Communications Research Institute filed 4 jointly, again an intra-group pairing. Xidian University co-filed once with the 54th Research Institute of CETC, and Nokia Technologies co-filed once each with Nokia Solutions and Networks and with Nokia Solutions (Shanghai). Cross-industry or cross-nationality collaboration remains sparse, leaving the ecosystem relatively siloed.
Limited cross-org collaborationWIPO (PCT) is the leading filing route, with the US and Europe close behind
WIPO (PCT) is the leading jurisdiction by patent records, followed closely by the United States and Europe (EPO). India ranks fourth, reflecting growing domestic 6G R&D investment. China and South Korea round out the significant jurisdictions. The relative underweight of South Korean filings — notable given Samsung’s dominance — suggests that Samsung is strategically pursuing international coverage via PCT and US/EPO rather than concentrating solely in its home jurisdiction.
PCT-led, multi-regionGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T移动第二有限责任公司 | AT&T知识产权一部有限合伙公司 | 9 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Communications Ltd. Research Institute | 4 |
| Xidian University | The 54th Research Institute of CETC | 1 |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy | 1 |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | NOKIA SOLUTIONS (SHANGHAI) CO LTD | 1 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | China Mobile Group Jiangsu Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Samsung leads at scale; Intel, Huawei, and AT&T form a distant challenger tier
The applicant landscape is effectively two-tiered: Samsung Electronics at a commanding distance, followed by a group of telecom and semiconductor firms each holding single-digit to low-double-digit patent families. Technology emphasis and recent momentum differ meaningfully across these tiers.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung holds 414 patent families in 6G security — more than 31 times the volume of the second-ranked applicant. Its technical focus is concentrated in wireless network security (H04W 12), cryptographic protocols in digital transmission (H04L 9), and wireless network management (H04W 8), indicating a broad-spectrum security architecture strategy across air-interface, key management, and device registration. Momentum is exceptional: recent three-year filings ran at approximately 16 times the prior three-year volume, signaling sustained and accelerating investment rather than a one-time filing campaign.
families: 414Intel Corporation
Intel ranks second with 13 patent families, entering the 6G security space as a new entrant with no material prior-period baseline. Its technical emphasis leans toward cryptographic and protocol-layer security in digital information transmission (H04L 9) and wireless network security (H04W 12), with additional coverage in network services (H04L 67). Intel’s semiconductor and compute-layer expertise positions it to address security at the chipset and trusted-execution level — a differentiated angle relative to Samsung’s radio and protocol dominance.
families: 13| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 335 | ▲ 16× vs prior 3-yr |
| Intel Corporation | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| AT&T移动第二有限责任公司 | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| AT&T知识产权一部有限合伙公司 | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Xidian University | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| EBOS Tech | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
AI-driven security and physical-layer transmission are under-served relative to their technical relevance
Three IPC branches sit at notably low share relative to their potential role in 6G security architecture. These are observations of relative sparsity; where technical value and a plausible entry path also exist, they are worth monitoring for R&D positioning.
G06N · AI-model-based security for 6G
Computing based on AI models (G06N) accounts for only about 3% of patent records in this corpus despite the widely recognized role of AI/ML in 6G threat detection, anomaly identification, and zero-trust enforcement. The sparse coverage suggests most filers have not yet translated 6G-specific AI-security concepts into formal patent claims. Teams with existing ML infrastructure and wireless-security domain knowledge have a realistic entry path: filing on AI-driven intrusion detection, federated-learning security protocols, or intelligent resource-allocation security at the RAN layer could establish a differentiated position before the branch densifies.
Search this in Eureka →H04B · Physical-layer and transmission security
General transmission (H04B) holds only about 2% of patent records, indicating that physical-layer security approaches — such as terahertz channel security, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) authentication, and waveform-level anti-jamming — remain largely unpatented in this corpus. Physical-layer security is technically distinct from protocol-layer approaches and well-suited to 6G’s sub-THz and THz frequency ranges. Academic groups and specialist RF firms could stake positions here with relatively limited filings, given the current sparsity.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
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 76 · Wireless communication networks | H04L 67 · Digital information transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Strong · 350 | Strong · 176 | Moderate · 95 | Moderate · 72 | Emerging · 49 |
| AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. | Strong · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 8 | Moderate · 3 |
| AT&T Mobility II LLC | Strong · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 8 | Moderate · 3 |
| Intel Corporation | Strong · 6 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 4 |
| Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Strong · 10 | Absent | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| Xidian University | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 2 |
| China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. | Strong · 5 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 562 patent families globally. Filing activity was negligible before 2021 and grew sharply through 2023, representing a multi-year growth rate of approximately 1,184% versus the prior three-year window.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is the dominant filer with 414 patent families, far ahead of the second-ranked applicant Intel Corporation with 13 patent families. Samsung’s recent three-year filing rate ran at approximately 16 times its prior three-year volume.
WIPO (PCT) is the leading filing route, followed by the United States and Europe (EPO). India ranks fourth, with China and South Korea also present. This distribution reflects an emphasis on international protection via PCT and the major standards-setting markets.
The field is in a Growth stage. Multi-year filing volume is well above the prior period, confirming ongoing expansion. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since; however, counts for 2024–2026 are further understated by publication lag and will rise as applications publish.
Wireless communication networks (H04W) and digital information transmission (H04L) dominate the corpus. Computing based on AI models (G06N), electric digital data processing (G06F), and general transmission (H04B) are comparatively sparse, representing potential areas for differentiated filing activity.
Collaboration is limited and predominantly intra-group. The most active co-filing pair is the two AT&T entities with 9 joint patent families, followed by China Mobile Communications Group and its research institute with 4. Cross-industry or cross-nationality joint filings are rare, leaving the ecosystem relatively fragmented outside these internal groupings.
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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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