Introduction
This article explains what the Cellular technology package covers in IPlytics, the data sources behind it, and how customers can use it for SEP and standards analysis.
A technology package (also called a feature package) is a curated collection of patents covering a specific technology standard – for example, Wi-Fi 6, 5G, or HEVC video compression. Rather than constructing a patent search from scratch, users of the IPlytics platform can access these packages directly to immediately explore which companies hold relevant patents, how many patents exist in the landscape, and which may be essential to a given standard.
The Cellular technology package covers patent, standards contribution, and analytics data for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation cellular standards developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It's built for tracking patent ownership, portfolio strength, competitive position, and licensing exposure across 3G, 4G, and 5G, all developed within the 3GPP standards ecosystem.
Please note: The Cellular technology package covers 3G, 4G and 5G cellular standards data developed through 3GPP. Cellular IoT technologies such as NB-IoT, LTE-M, Cat-1 and V2X are handled through a separate Cellular IoT technology package or filter. Availability of individual filters, expanded TS data and analytics views may depend on your subscription and platform configuration.
What The Package Covers
The Cellular technology package focuses on cellular standards developed by 3GPP and organizes the data into three technology generations.
Users can filter declared cellular SEP data by generation using 3GPP TS numbers classified by the platform.
| Generation | What It Covers | Typical Relevance |
| 3G (UMTS / HSPA) | The third-generation cellular standard supporting mobile broadband, video calling, and mobile data services. In IPlytics, 3G coverage is based on relevant 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) classifications. | Legacy mobile networks and devices, and baseline mobile broadband and voice/data services. |
| 4G (LTE / LTE-Advanced) | The fourth-generation standard that brought high-speed mobile broadband at scale and supports many current mobile network deployments. In IPlytics, 4G coverage is based on relevant 3GPP TS classifications. | Mainstream smartphones, mobile broadband devices, and current mobile network deployments. |
| 5G (NR – New Radio) | The fifth-generation cellular standard supporting enhanced mobile broadband, lower-latency use cases, massive device connectivity, fixed wireless access, private networks, industrial applications and connected vehicles. In IPlytics, 5G coverage is based on relevant 3GPP TS classifications from Release 15 onward. | Next-generation smartphones, fixed wireless access, private networks, industrial IoT, and connected-vehicle applications. |
What Users Can Analyze
- Search declared cellular SEP data by generation (3G, 4G, or 5G) using 3GPP TS numbers classified by the platform.
- Review patent families mapped to 5G-specific TS classifications and, where available, families associated with both 4G and 5G-related standards.
- Use Exclusive Technology Generation Search to return only patent families declared exclusively to the selected generation, for example, only 5G, excluding families that also bridge to 4G.
- Review Expanded / Undeclared TS data: where enabled, IPlytics can expand declared patents to additional relevant TS within the same technology generation and committee group, helping to reduce gaps caused by declarations that reference only one TS. This output should be treated as an analytical aid rather than a legal conclusion.
- Search technical contributions submitted to 3GPP working groups, including RAN1, RAN2, RAN3, RAN4, SA2 and others, using Contribution Weight metrics to normalize joint submissions.
- Review search results through analytics views and search data views, with breakdowns by company, generation, working group, filing period, and other available fields.
- Use available SEP fields, declaration data, and Standard Essentiality Score (SES) context: to prioritize families for review. SES and related scores should be used as research inputs and should not be interpreted as a final determination of essentiality, validity, infringement or licensing obligation.
Why It Matters
Cellular standards are central to smartphones, mobile networks, connected devices, fixed wireless access, private networks, industrial IoT and connected vehicles. Because cellular standards are implemented globally, the related SEP landscape is one of the largest and most commercially important areas of standards-based patent licensing.
Cellular SEP analysis requires careful filtering. Declarations are self-reported, and there is no single authority that validates whether every declared patent is truly essential or whether every potentially essential patent has been declared. The Cellular technology package addresses this by combining declaration data, TS classifications, contribution data, analytics views, and, where available, expanded TS and SES-related context, giving users visibility into the landscape independent of what's been formally declared.
Common Use Cases
- Licensing preparation: identify companies associated with declared and analytically expanded cellular SEP data for 3G, 4G, and 5G.
- Portfolio benchmarking: compare a portfolio against competitors by cellular generation, working group, company, or other available fields.
- 5G transition analysis: review 5G-specific and 4G/5G bridge technology data to understand how patent portfolios may span generations.
- Standards contribution intelligence: track contribution activity across 3GPP working groups and use Contribution Weight to identify influential contributors.
- Data export and internal analysis: export search results for further review, reporting, and internal patent strategy workflows.
- Licensing program support: use declaration, contribution, and analytics data to support patent pool assessment, licensing program design, and negotiation preparation.
Important Scope Note
| IPlytics data, expanded TS outputs, contribution metrics and scores are intended to support research and prioritization. They are not legal opinions and do not replace technical claim-charting or legal review. |
How To Request Access
The Cellular technology package is a licensed add-on to the IPlytics Platform. Access is not included in every standard platform subscription and must be confirmed separately. Some related capabilities, including Cellular IoT filtering or expanded TS data, may require separate entitlement or configuration.
To request access, contact your IPlytics account manager or reach out to the IPlytics team here. Your account manager will confirm eligibility and arrange access.