NTN Spectrum Sharing Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Remain 2026
- Filing peaked in 2024 at 1,653 families before easing back toward 240 in the partial 2026 count — a maturing rather than an emerging claim space.
- One assignee anchors the co-filing network Qualcomm pairs with individual named inventors at far higher frequency than any other assignee combination in the dataset.
- Momentum is broadly negative even among leaders the largest filers each show double-digit percentage declines year over year, while Huawei is one of the few names still growing.
Filing growth compares 2021 (1,019 records) with 2024 (1,653) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 7,195 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this patent set covers
This landscape covers 7,195 patent families published between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off that combine non-terrestrial network (NTN) or satellite communication claims with spectrum sharing, terrestrial-satellite coexistence, or dynamic frequency allocation language. The search string requires both elements to appear in title, abstract, claims or description, so the set is narrower than general satellite communication filing and should be read as the subset specifically addressing how spectrum gets divided or dynamically reassigned between terrestrial and non-terrestrial radio access.
Filings run across United States, PCT/WIPO, European, Indian and German receiving offices, with the United States and PCT routes together accounting for the large majority of records. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts in any trend line understate actual filing activity for those years.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 7,195-family dataset: the year-by-year filing curve, and how those filings distribute across IPC subclasses.
A decade of filing, front-loaded toward 2024
Annual filings rose from 16 in 2017 to a peak of 1,653 in 2024, with the midpoint year 2022 already at 883 — growth was concentrated in the back half of the period rather than steady throughout. The drop to 240 for 2026 reflects both a genuine slowdown and the normal publication lag; treat the final one to two years as incomplete.
Wireless networking dominates, AI-based methods are a secondary cluster
H04W (wireless communication networks) covers 5,438 records, more than double the next subclass, H04L (digital information transmission) at 2,691, with H04B (general transmission) at 1,610 close behind. A smaller but notable cluster sits in G06N (AI-based computing methods, 606 records) and G06F (electric digital data processing, 501), pointing to a meaningful share of filings framing spectrum allocation as a computational or learned-decision problem rather than pure radio engineering. G01S (radar, sonar, positioning), H04J (multiplex communication) and H01Q (antennas) round out the set at lower volumes.
Shares are the percentage of the 7,195 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Non-Terrestrial Network Spectrum Sharing with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about non-terrestrial network spectrum sharing and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative recent filing
WO2024254263A1 — Dynamic spectrum sharing with a non-terrestrial network (Google LLC, 2024-12-12)
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatuses for managing communications within a first coverage area of an NTN node implementing one radio access technology when that coverage area temporarily overlaps with a second coverage area of a terrestrial network base station implementing a different RAT. The NTN node and the TN base station implement dynamic spectrum sharing to allocate spectrum between the two based on configuration information exchanged and the degree of coverage overlap.Filed by Google LLC; published December 2024.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20030093798A1 | Modular entertainment system configured for multiple broadband content delivery incorporating a distributed s… | 356 |
| 2 | US11395149B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 342 |
| 3 | US11277750B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 335 |
| 4 | US20210409959A1 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 334 |
| 5 | US11570627B1 | System, method, and apparatus for providing optimized network resources | 331 |
| 6 | US11272372B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 330 |
| 7 | US11259189B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 329 |
| 8 | US11284267B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 326 |
| 9 | US11277751B2 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 322 |
| 10 | US11190946B1 | System, method, and apparatus for providing dynamic, prioritized spectrum management and utilization | 322 |
Citation counts favour older records simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus; read them as a signal of influence, not of current technical importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers imply for a filing strategy
Reading the trend, the IPC split and the citation table together points to a field where the core coexistence mechanisms are well staked out but the computational layer is still filling in.
The curve has already turned down
Growth from 16 families in 2017 to 883 at the 2022 midpoint and 1,653 at the 2024 peak shows a decade of acceleration, but the fall to 240 in 2026 — even allowing for publication lag — suggests the initial land grab on core dynamic-sharing mechanisms is largely complete.
Wireless-network claims dominate, AI methods are the secondary axis
H04W alone covers more records than H04L and H04B combined among the smaller subclasses. The 606 records in G06N indicate a distinct sub-cluster treating spectrum allocation decisions as a machine-learning problem, separate from the radio-layer mechanics.
Influence sits with a small handful of foundational filings
The most-cited records cluster around dynamic, prioritized spectrum management systems rather than any single coexistence protocol, indicating that early framework-level claims — not narrow implementation details — attracted the bulk of downstream citation.
One assignee's co-filing network stands apart
Qualcomm's strongest co-assignee pairings, each in the high 50s, are markedly higher than the next tier of co-filing relationships in the dataset, consistent with a large internal inventor pool filing jointly rather than genuine cross-company collaboration.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to non-terrestrial network spectrum sharing, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and how momentum is shifting
Recent-year filing counts and year-over-year change tell a different story from cumulative volume: several long-standing filers are pulling back sharply, while at least one major player is still adding filings.
Qualcomm still files the most, but the pace has dropped sharply
Even after a 76% year-over-year decline, Qualcomm's 138 filings in the latest year exceed any other assignee's recent-year count, and its co-assignee pairings with individual named inventors are the strongest in the dataset.
Several established filers are retreating at similar rates
Digital Global Systems (34 filings, -88%), Nokia Technologies (29 filings, -88%), Samsung Electronics (7 filings, -91%) and Nokia Solutions and Networks (6 filings, -93%) all show comparable year-over-year contraction, suggesting a broad cooling rather than one company's isolated exit.
Huawei is one of the few names still growing, off a small base
At 8 filings in the latest year, Huawei's volume is modest, but its +33% growth stands out against a field where every other tracked assignee is contracting — worth watching if the trend continues past the current partial-year data.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm Incorporated | 138 | -76% |
| DIGITAL GLOBAL SYSTEMS INC | 34 | -88% |
| Nokia Technologies Oy | 29 | -88% |
| Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 8 | +33% |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 7 | -91% |
| Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy | 6 | -93% |
| YANG LUANXIA | 2 | -67% |
| Sony Group Corporation | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this
The dataset points to a field consolidating around a handful of framework patents while a computational layer is still being staked out.
Map claim scope against the top-cited families
Before drafting around dynamic spectrum management claims, check which elements of the most-cited records are framework-level versus implementation-specific — the gap between them is where narrower claims may still be available.
Explore in EurekaTrack the AI-based allocation cluster separately
The G06N and G06F subclasses represent a smaller, more recent sub-cluster than the core H04W wireless claims and may offer more open claim space for machine-learning-driven allocation methods.
Explore in EurekaWatch counter-trend filers for signal
Assignees adding filings while the broader field contracts, such as Huawei in this dataset, can indicate where a company expects the next wave of contested claims to land.
Explore in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
In this dataset, a record must combine NTN or satellite communication terminology with spectrum sharing, terrestrial-satellite coexistence, or dynamic frequency allocation language somewhere in its title, abstract, claims or description. This means the patent must address not just satellite communication generally, but specifically how spectrum is divided, reassigned, or shared between terrestrial and non-terrestrial radio access. General satellite communication filings that do not touch spectrum allocation mechanisms fall outside this set.
Qualcomm shows the highest recent-year filing volume in this dataset at 138 families, despite a 76% year-over-year decline, and its co-assignee network with individually named inventors is the strongest of the identified co-filing pairs. Digital Global Systems, Nokia Technologies and Samsung Electronics also appear among recent filers but each shows sharp pullbacks of 88% or more year over year. Huawei is a notable exception, growing 33% year over year off a smaller base of 8 recent filings.
No, not on the recent-year evidence. Filings rose from 16 in 2017 to a peak of 1,653 in 2024, but the count for 2026 sits at 240, and most tracked assignees show double-digit percentage declines year over year. Some of that drop reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication, so the very latest years will always look artificially low, but the direction of the trend among established filers is consistently downward.
WO2024254263A1, filed by Google LLC and published in December 2024, covers systems and methods for managing communications when an NTN node's coverage area temporarily overlaps with a terrestrial network base station using a different radio access technology. It describes dynamic spectrum sharing between the two based on configuration information exchanged between the NTN node and the terrestrial base station and the degree of coverage overlap. Anyone designing an NTN-terrestrial handoff or coexistence mechanism should review its specific claim language for overlap-triggered allocation logic.
The IPC composition shows H04W wireless-networking claims dominating at 5,438 records, with meaningful but much smaller clusters in G06N AI-based methods (606) and H01Q antennas (139). This imbalance suggests comparatively open claim space in AI-driven dynamic allocation, radar-informed coexistence sensing, and antenna-level spectrum handoff, where filing density is thin relative to the core wireless-networking cluster. A freedom-to-operate review focused on these narrower subclasses is more likely to find gaps than one focused on H04W alone.
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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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Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.