Patent Cliff · Telecom
Telecommunications patent cliff
2G and 3G standard-essential patents (SEPs) are expiring, reducing licensing costs for carriers and device manufacturers building on mature wireless technologies.
Expiring 2025–2029
21
Citations at stake
3,331
Peak cliff year
2027
Already expired
59
Patents Expiring by Year (2025–2029)
2025
2
2026
3
2027
7
2028
4
2029
5
Most-Cited Telecom Patents Expiring 2025–2029
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
1,269
cit.
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
1,120
cit.
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
402
cit.
Displaying Friends' Activities in a Social Network Feed
231
cit.
How a Special Fiber Stub Cleans Up Light Signals
81
cit.
How to Send Data Streams Independently Without Connection Overload
42
cit.
How Fuel Cells Reuse Exhaust Hydrogen for High Efficiency
29
cit.
How Satellites Handle Super Fast User Data Using Shared Antennas
25
cit.
How to Automatically Generate Musical Harmonies from Audio
24
cit.
Combining Sealed and Exposed Sensors on One Microchip
21
cit.
How Touchscreens Save Battery by Sleeping Between Touches
21
cit.
How Mobile Phones Can Securely Authorize Payments Using Random ID Codes
17
cit.
How Multi-Stage Power Amplifiers Save Battery Life in Wireless Devices
13
cit.
How Nanoparticles Form Adaptive Neural Network Connections
12
cit.
How Farm Vehicles Plant Evenly in Odd-Shaped Fields
9
cit.
Year-by-Year Top Patents
2025
2 patents2026
3 patents2027
7 patents2028
4 patentsStrategic context
2G and 3G standard-essential patents (SEPs) are expiring, reducing licensing costs for carriers and device manufacturers building on mature wireless technologies. As these patents expire, competitors and open-source projects can freely implement the underlying inventions without license fees. For FTO analysis on specific products, use the FTO Risk Snapshot tool →
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