Revealing Development Trends in Blockchain-Based 5G Network Technologies through Patent Analysis

Abstract

The fifth-generation (5G) network has special communication and security requirements including high reliability, low latency, precise automatic control, secure covert transmission, and evidence traceability. The 5G network combined with blockchain technology just meets this demand, so it is driving a rapidly growing volume of patent applications. This study proposes application scenarios, architecture diagrams, and patent analysis methods for blockchain-based 5G network technologies, beginning with a network architecture using mobile edge computing (MEC) and blockchain as independent platform components to solve MEC load pressure. In the patent analysis, a patent cluster map of blockchain-based 5G networks is proposed to analyze the intersection of technical application fields. The bottleneck period of technological development is presented for leading countries and enterprises in the technological development of blockchain-based 5G network, highlighting relative advantages and disadvantages. Specifically, to extract the core international patent classification (IPC) key technologies and their mutual interrelatedness, we use network topology analysis to establish an IPC network topology diagram through node global and local topology characteristics, thus revealing hotspots of IPC technology research and the characteristics of the technology relationship system. The findings provide a very useful reference for the formulation of government strategy to assist in the implementation and development of blockchain-based 5G network technologies for future smart cities.

Analysis of international competitive situation of key core technology in strategic emerging industries: New generation of information technology industry as an example

“…(3) Analysis of technological competition hotspots. A large number of studies determine the field of technical research hotspot based on IPC classification number statistics [ 46 ]. Besides, some scholars also make use of patent visualization technology to cluster fields such as patent title and abstract and draw patent topographic maps, so as to dig hot spots and blank areas of technology competition [ 47 , 48 ].…”

A Patent Analysis to Identify Emergent Topics and Convergence Fields: A Case Study of Chitosan

“…In their use of patent co-classification to monitor technological convergence, Yun and Geum [57] employed several indexes to measure the fluctuation and continuity of patent overlaps as a means to analyze dynamic technological convergence. Gao et al [58] revealed a development trends in blockchain-based 5G network by applying network topology analysis to build an IPC network topology diagram through node global and local topology characteristics. They point out hotspots of IPC technology research and the characteristics of the technology relationship system.…”