This report provides a comprehensive look at the Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) covering key 3GPP protocols that enable IoT connectivity—from 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, as well as LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat M1, and NB-IoT. With the rapid expansion of IoT devices across industries, understanding the SEP landscape around these standards is crucial for navigating technology licensing, FRAND obligations, and competitive positioning.
SEP Landscape: 3GPP Protocols
We begin with an analysis of SEP declaration data sourced from the ETSI database, offering a top-level view of how companies are disclosing patents relevant to 3GPP standards. However, as SEP declarations remain unchecked and often include non-essential patents, our report offers another approach.
Inside the report
To provide a more focused view of the innovation landscape, we introduce a keyword-refined dataset that filters the declaration data based on technical relevance. The Parola Analytics 2025 IOT Report: 3GPP SEPs serves as a foundational resource for in-depth insights into:
- Patent filing trends across 2G to 5G and LTE and NB-IoT protocols
- Global patent filing activity
- Key enabling technologies for each protocol
- Leading SEP holders and technology contributors
- Comparative analysis of SEP declarations vs. refined datasets
- Potential implications for FRAND licensing and IP valuation
- Essentiality analysis: Patent-to-standard mapping of representative patents
As billions of IoT devices rely on cellular standards, the ownership of SEPs directly impact licensing costs and market access. This report helps identify key players, potential licensing implications, a closer analysis of essentiality of key patents and more. Download the free report.
