Survey of Mobile Cellular 5G Essentiality Rate
Forthcoming, Les Nouvelles- Journal of the Licencing Executives Society, March 2021
15 Pages Posted: 5 Feb 2021
There are 2 versions of this paper
Survey of Mobile Cellular 5G Essentiality Rate
Date Written: December 21, 2020
Abstract
This paper summarizes the results and methodology of a 5G essentiality survey that estimates the total number of patent families (excluding Ericsson, which funded this study) that have a patent with at least one claim which is essential to the 5G consumer mobile smartphone as of January 2020. In total, 200 randomly selected patent families were reviewed, with 8.0% found to contain at least one claim likely essential to a 5G NR smartphone. Applying this essentiality rate to the declared 5G patents from which the 200 patent families were selected results in a total estimate of approximately 746 patent families likely essential to a 5G NR smartphone (excluding those owned by Ericsson). We understand that Ericsson funded this study to estimate the total landscape outside of Ericsson. We further understand that Ericsson prepared claim charts for its own patent families evidencing essentiality to a 5G NR smartphone. We estimate Ericsson’s share of patent families likely essential to a 5G NR smartphone using the number of claim charts prepared by Ericsson and the results of this survey.
Keywords: Cellular, Essential Patents, FRAND
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