Massive MIMO Beamforming Patent Landscape 2026
The massive MIMO beamforming patent field is moderately concentrated, with Ericsson and Samsung leading a telecom-vendor-dominated corpus where the top five filers account for nearly a third of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. Annual volume peaked in 2017 and has eased since, placing the field in a late-stage, post-peak phase — though publication lag makes the most recent two years appear sparser than they are.
Ericsson leads a telecom-vendor-dominated field with moderate concentration
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) holds the leading position in this corpus, followed closely by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, with Nokia Technologies and Huawei rounding out the top five. The top five filers collectively represent 31% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records — a moderate but meaningful concentration for a maturing wireless-technology domain.
A clear tier gap separates the top three (Ericsson, Samsung, LG) from the mid-tier cluster that includes Nokia Technologies, Huawei, Southeast University, WISIG Networks, Nokia Solutions & Networks, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and Qualcomm. The gap narrows further down the ranking, suggesting broad but thin participation beyond the top ten.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 54 | |
| 2 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 48 | |
| 3 | LG Electronics Inc. | 32 | |
| 4 | Nokia Technologies Oy | 20 | |
| 5 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 17 | |
| 6 | Southeast University | 16 | |
| 7 | WISIG Networks Pte. Ltd. | 15 | |
| 8 | NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY | 15 | |
| 9 | ELECTRONICS & TELECOMM RES INST | 15 | |
| 10 | Qualcomm Incorporated | 14 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | National Instruments Corporation | 13 | |
| 12 | AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P | 12 | |
| 13 | Intel Corporation | 11 | |
| 14 | Alcatel-Lucent SA | 11 | |
| 15 | RF DSP Inc. | 10 | |
| 16 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 9 | |
| 17 | Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Ltd. | 8 | |
| 18 | Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. | 7 | |
| 19 | Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 20 | Sony Group Corporation | 7 |
Ericsson’s leading position reflects the company’s long-running 5G NR standardization work; Samsung’s near-parity signals a sustained investment push. The presence of Southeast University and ETRI in the top ten indicates that academic and government-affiliated research institutes are meaningful contributors to the technical baseline, not merely peripheral players.
Figures for 2024–2026 should be treated as preliminary given typical 18–24 month publication delays; the apparent low volume in those years reflects lag rather than confirmed market exit. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume eased from a 2017 peak; transmission remains the dominant technology branch
The two charts below show how annual filing activity has evolved over time and how the technology mix is distributed across IPC classes. Together they reveal a field that has moved through its growth phase and now sees more targeted, incremental filings concentrated in core transmission and signal-processing branches.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings peaked at 70 in 2017, then settled into a range of 38–52 through 2022 before falling to lower counts in 2023–2026. The post-2022 decline is partially explained by publication lag and should not be read as a collapse in R&D interest; nonetheless the multi-year trend confirms the field is past its peak growth phase.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H04B (Transmission, general) is overwhelmingly dominant, reflecting the core beamforming signal-path work. H04L (Digital information transmission) and H04W (Wireless communication networks) form a secondary cluster covering channel estimation, scheduling, and network-layer integration. H01Q (Antennas), G06N (AI/ML models), and H04J (Multiplex communication) each account for a small share, marking adjacent branches with relatively sparse coverage.
↗ 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.
Precoding and channel state information acquisitio…
A radio access node (RAN) and method of operation of the RAN are provided. The RAN includes a massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array. The RAN includes a processing hardware configured to carry out a communication method that includes receiving a digital data stream for transmission on a time-frequency resource. The RAN precodes the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multi-input and multi-output communication method … | 175 |
| 2 | Reference signal indications for massive MIMO netw… | 68 |
| 3 | System and method for spatial on sub-band massive … | 66 |
| 4 | Enhanced uplink beam selection for massive MIMO sy… | 59 |
| 5 | Channel state information feedback method and appa… | 52 |
| 6 | Reference signals and link adaptation for massive … | 46 |
| 7 | Multi-input and multi-output communication method … | 42 |
| 8 | Massive MIMO array testing using a programmable ph… | 41 |
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 patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — on lifecycle stage, competitive concentration, collaborative patterns, and geography — translate directly into R&D positioning choices for teams entering or expanding in massive MIMO beamforming.
Post-peak field with selective late-stage activity
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2017 peak. Core beamforming signal-path patents are dense, so incremental improvements in already-covered territory face high prior-art risk. R&D teams will find more freedom-to-operate in adjacent branches — antenna design, AI-driven beamforming, and multiplexing — than in the central H04B transmission cluster.
Lifecycle: DeclineModerate concentration with a visible tier gap after the top three
The top five filers hold 31% of the hundred largest filers’ combined records, led by Ericsson (54 patent records), Samsung (48), and LG (32). A visible tier gap separates this group from the mid-tier cluster starting at Nokia Technologies (20 records). New entrants face an established prior-art barrier in core transmission routes but can differentiate through specialization in sparser branches or geographic markets with lower filing density.
Top-5 share: 31%Samsung–Korea National University of Transportation and Nokia intra-group pairings are the most active co-filers
The most active co-filing pair is Samsung Electronics and Korea National University of Transportation Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, with 4 jointly filed records, matched by the Nokia Solutions & Networks / Nokia Communications (Shanghai) intra-group pairing. Ericsson and its Chinese subsidiary account for 3 joint filings. WISIG Networks and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad show 2 joint filings, indicating emerging university-startup collaboration in South and Southeast Asia. Broader cross-sector coalitions outside these pairings are sparse.
7 active co-filing pairsUS-dominant filing with meaningful EPO and China coverage
The United States leads patent filings by a wide margin, followed by Europe (EPO) and China. WIPO (PCT) and India also appear prominently, reflecting both global portfolio strategies and growing local R&D interest in India. South Korea, Japan, and Australia have comparatively thin coverage despite being home to leading assignees, suggesting companies may be prioritizing key commercial markets over full geographic breadth.
Lead office: United StatesGo 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. | Korea National University of Transportation Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | 4 |
| Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy | Nokia Communications (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | Ericsson (China) Communications Co., Ltd. | 3 |
| WISIG Networks Pte. Ltd. | Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Yonsei University | 1 |
| Southeast University | NEC (China) Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Southeast University | The 54th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Ericsson and Samsung lead with different trajectory signals
Ericsson holds the top position by patent records but shows a sharply declining recent trend, while Samsung, despite appearing as a new entrant in the recent period, has rapidly accumulated a near-parity position — signaling a rebalancing at the top of the rankings.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
Ericsson leads with 54 patent records, concentrated almost entirely in H04B 7 (Transmission, general) with secondary positions in H04L 5 and H04W 72. This profile reflects deep coverage of the core beamforming signal path built up over the full filing window. However, the recent-period trend shows a 68% decline versus the prior period, indicating that Ericsson’s new filings in this specific area have contracted sharply — consistent with a mature, standards-complete portfolio rather than active expansion.
patent records: 54Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung holds 48 patent records and is classified as a new entrant in the recent filing window, suggesting its contributions to the corpus are concentrated in recent years rather than spread across the full period. Its technology focus spans H04B 7, H04L 5, and H04L 25, indicating broader coverage of channel estimation and multi-carrier aspects alongside core beamforming — a profile suited to 5G NR and emerging 6G standardization work. The combination of near-parity in total records and a rising recent trajectory makes Samsung the most actively growing player at the top of the ranking.
patent records: 48| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 6 | ▼ -68% |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | 2 | ▼ -86% |
| Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Southeast University | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| WISIG Networks Pte. Ltd. | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
Antenna design, AI-driven beamforming, and multiplexing are under-served relative to the core
Three IPC branches sit at the periphery of the dominant H04B/H04L/H04W cluster and carry substantially fewer patent records, marking them as adjacent areas with comparatively open filing space. Each has plausible technical relevance to massive MIMO beamforming evolution; entry paths differ by required expertise.
H01Q · Antennas — hardware design for large-array systems
With only 23 patent records, the antenna-design branch (H01Q) is sparse relative to the transmission-layer coverage that dominates the corpus. Physically realizing a massive MIMO array — managing mutual coupling, beam squinting, and mmWave packaging — is a distinct engineering challenge from digital beamforming algorithms, yet this branch is thinly filed. Teams with antenna-hardware or phased-array expertise could find relatively open space here, particularly for sub-6 GHz and mmWave hybrid array architectures relevant to 5G-Advanced and 6G.
Search this in Eureka →G06N · AI/ML models applied to beamforming — data-driven beam management
Only 14 patent records are classified under G06N (Computing based on AI models), making this the second-sparsest branch with plausible near-term commercial relevance. Deep learning for channel prediction, reinforcement-learning-based beam tracking, and neural-network precoder design are active research topics but have generated limited granted IP in this corpus to date. Nokia Technologies is the only top-tier applicant with visible antenna-adjacent coverage; most AI-beamforming work appears to be published academically rather than captured in granted patents, suggesting a realistic entry window for applied-ML teams.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route emphasis
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H04B 7 · Transmission (general) | H04L 5 · Digital information transmission | H04L 25 · Digital information transmission | H04W 72 · Wireless communication networks | H04L 1 · Digital information transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Strong · 48 | Moderate · 23 | Moderate · 15 | Emerging · 7 | Emerging · 6 |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | Strong · 54 | Emerging · 8 | Absent | Emerging · 7 | Absent |
| LG Electronics Inc. | Strong · 32 | Moderate · 14 | Emerging · 3 | Moderate · 10 | Emerging · 3 |
| WISIG Networks Pte. Ltd. | Strong · 15 | Strong · 10 | Emerging · 2 | Emerging · 2 | Emerging · 2 |
| Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) | Strong · 15 | Moderate · 5 | Absent | Strong · 11 | Absent |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 6 | Absent |
| Southeast University | Strong · 16 | Absent | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 5 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 368 patent families. Applicant rankings within this report are measured at the patent-record level, which can differ from the family count because a single family may appear in multiple jurisdictions.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) leads with 54 patent records, followed by Samsung Electronics (48) and LG Electronics (32). These three companies form a clear first tier separated from the rest of the ranking.
The field is classified in a decline stage, with annual filings easing back from a peak of 70 in 2017. Filing counts for 2024–2026 are subject to publication lag and may be revised upward as more applications publish, but the multi-year trend from 2017 onward is downward.
The United States leads with 222 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 105, China with 71, and WIPO (PCT) with 66. India also registers 47 records, reflecting growing strategic interest from both global portfolio filers and local R&D organizations.
H01Q (Antennas) with 23 patent records, G06N (AI/ML models) with 14 records, and H04J (Multiplex communication) with 11 records are the lowest-density branches identified adjacent to the dominant H04B/H04L/H04W cluster. Each has plausible technical relevance but sparse coverage relative to the core.
Yes. Samsung Electronics and Korea National University of Transportation Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation co-filed 4 patent records, the most active university-industry pairing in the corpus. WISIG Networks and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad show 2 joint filings, representing an emerging startup-university collaboration model in South and Southeast Asia.
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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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