• DOCOMO placed as world's leading mobile operator in number of applications for candidate standard-essential patents for 5G 
• DOCOMO also  ranked sixth in 5G SEP applications among all companies in all fields (not just mobile operators)

During all the controversy over 5G - Who leads? Who has been stealing secrets? Who has secrets to steal?  etc. it's worth remembering that the real engine for 5G is essential patent contributions. The Standard Essential Patents (SEP) mechanism is often credited with making GSM and 3GPP standards the successes they are. 

DOCOMO has become one of the lead contributors:  it's applied for some 1,400 candidate 5G SEPs and submitted some 3,700 5G-related contributions to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It's not out on its own by any means, but it's made a large and under-recognised contribution. Check out the pie chart below.

TOKYO, JAPAN, February 18, 2019 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has been ranked the world's leading mobile operator in terms of applications for candidate standard-essential patents (SEPs) for the new fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication standard, and also number one in terms of 5G technical proposals (contributions). The rankings are based on a study conducted by Cyber Creative Institute Co., Ltd., a Japanese firm that researches information and communication technology regarding intellectual property rights.

The results of the study, "Application trend of ETSI standard essential patent (5G-SEP) candidates contributing to realization of 5G and proposal trend of contributions for standards," were announced on February 6.

DOCOMO also was ranked sixth in 5G SEP applications among all companies in all fields.

DOCOMO has applied for some 1,400 candidate 5G SEPs and submitted some 3,700 5G-related contributions to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaborative initiative undertaken by telecommunications standards associations. SEP applications and contributions are seen as a barometer of a company's involvement with and the 3GPP and support for standardization. DOCOMO is playing a pivotal role in hastening the completion of 5G specifications and standardization, similar to its past work in helping to establish the 3G and 4G mobile systems.

DOCOMO is actively contributing to 5G standardization as it prepares to offer mobile services capable of unprecedented speed, capacity and reliability when it launches its 5G mobile communication service in 2020.

DOCOMO has contributed diverse technical proposals to the 3GPP for 5G infrastructure systems, including to issue early warnings of imminent natural disasters and to ensure communications in the immediate aftermath of disasters. The Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) is used extensively for services that provide citizens with disaster and evacuation-related emergency information, such as DOCOMO's Area Mail service and the emergency messaging services of counterpart mobile operators in Japan. Similar systems have also been introduced in the United States, South Korea and Europe.

1. Applications for Candidate 5G SEPs

2. 5G-related Contributions

-

Source: "Application trend of ETSI standard essential patent (5G-SEP) candidates contributing to realization of 5 G and proposal trend of contributions for standards," Cyber Creative Institute Co., Ltd.