- Huawei is winning in the 6G patent race
- Qualcomm will likely be the only American company in the top 5 patent holders
- Therefore, America very likely has already lost the 6G race
I'm here to tell you that America has already lost the 6G race. In fact, it was never really in the running in the first place.
Much like the 5G contest before it, China – and particularly Huawei – is winning the early 6G patent race. China has about 35% of the 6G patents that have been filed globally so far, more than any other country.
The companies working in the 3GPP include Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung. You'll notice that these aren't American companies, as much as the Trump administration might want them to be.
Qualcomm is likely the American company that holds the most 6G relevant patents. The company – which designs chipsets used in handsets and other devices – is evolving on its 4G and 5G research work. The San Diego silicon savant holds around 12.9 percent in global 5G patents.
Companies like American AI darling Nvidia may end up with more 6G patents. The company holds 15,553 patents globally, and 76% of these patents are active. It is not clear how many of those relate to 6G yet, if any. No doubt, however, as it works on 5G-Advanced and 6G, the company may well create a few new patents.
The 3GPP 6G standard is due to be set down (or "frozen," in 3GPP parlance) sometime in 2028, with commercial services first expected in 2030.
Despite the several years before 6G becomes real, a lot of research and patent creation is going on right now in academic and commercial circles. Which is why I can be fairly confident in saying that the U.S. and American companies have already lost the 6G patent race, much like it lost the 5G marathon before that.
Op-eds from industry experts, analysts or our editorial staff are opinion pieces that do not represent the opinions of Fierce Network.