One assignee leads the ranked list with 38 of the 129 records in scope, well ahead of the rest of the field. The gap to fifth place, which holds 6 records, shows how front-loaded the concentration is. Anyone assessing freedom to operate in this space should start with the leader’s specific claim scope before looking at the rest of the ranked assignees.

Filing volume peaked in 2020 at 32 records and has fallen since; the tracked leader’s own filings dropped 64% between 2021 and 2024, the last year with a complete publication picture. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not yet be read as a continuation of that decline. On the evidence available, the field looks like it is consolidating around established designs rather than expanding.

In this dataset the two terms describe overlapping but distinct claim approaches: flat panel antenna filings, like WO2020143903A1, focus on radiator geometry and manufacturable array structure, while electronically steered antenna filings focus on beam control without mechanical movement. Many records touch both concepts because a flat physical form factor is often paired with electronic steering to achieve satellite tracking. The IPC split shows H01Q (antenna structure) far ahead of narrower positioning-related classes like G01S, suggesting most claims still centre on the physical antenna rather than the steering algorithm.