The Global 5G SEPs and Standard Proposals Research Report (2024) released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) was released on September 26, 2024, revealing the latest ranking of global 5G SEPs that year. Among them, Chinese companies have performed outstandingly, with Huawei, ZTE and Xiaomi becoming the top three domestic companies, which is behind the long-term continuous investment in the underlying technology and the great importance of intellectual property protection.
Figure: Top 10 global 5G SEPs in 2024
With 12.42% of patents, Huawei topped the global 5G SEP rankings, which is almost equivalent to the entire share of Datang Telecom, which ranks 10th. Huawei's success stems from its continuous investment in basic research, which invests more than RMB 20 billion annually in basic research, and has established 26 R&D competence centers around the world, with more than 700 mathematicians, more than 800 physicists, and more than 120 chemists, and more than 6,000 experts in various fields of basic research.
ZTE and Xiaomi ranked fifth and eighth with a share of 6.97% and 4.62%, respectively. Xiaomi has risen rapidly in this year's rankings, rising two places from last year, becoming the fastest growing dark horse in the field of 5G patents in China. Xiaomi's success stems from its unwavering investment in research and development. Xiaomi's investment in 5G technology is far from overnight, and a dedicated 5G pre-research team has been set up as early as the end of 2015. Not only that, Xiaomi has also invested up to 10.7 billion yuan in R&D in the first half of 2024, and it is expected to reach 24 billion yuan for the whole year.
By the end of 2023, Xiaomi's technology research and development has entered 12 technical fields, including 5G mobile communication technology, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, with an overall subdivision of 99 fields. This extensive technical coverage shows that Xiaomi is well prepared for future technological innovations and market demand.
In addition, Xiaomi's global patent layout is also very strategic. As of June 30, 2024, Xiaomi has granted more than 40,000 patents worldwide, and the number of patents under review exceeds 32,000.
The rapid development and widespread application of 5G technology is driving the digital transformation of all walks of life. The main advantages of 5G networks are fast data transmission speed, low network latency, and effective communication between a large number of terminals. These advantages make 5G a key infrastructure to promote the digital and intelligent development of all walks of life, a new driving force to lead convergence and innovation, stimulate new information consumption, and a new engine to promote industrial upgrading and drive sustainable economic growth.
With the continuous maturity and application of 5G technology, Chinese enterprises are expected to continue to maintain a leading position in the global ranking of 5G standard essential patents, and make greater contributions to the development and application of global 5G technology through technological innovation and intellectual property protection.
