NTT DOCOMO is claiming the No.1 spot amongst leading mobile operators in terms of applications for candidate standard-essential patents (SEPs) for 5G and also No.1 in terms of 5G technical proposals (contributions). DOCOMO ranks sixth in 5G SEP applications among all companies in all fields. 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.
DOCOMO has applied for some 1,400 candidate 5G SEPs and submitted some 3,700 5G-related contributions to the 3GPP. One of its contributions to the 5G effort covers the issuance of early warnings of imminent natural 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.
