The Research On Competition Situation And Development Trend Of 4G Based On Patent Data

4G, which not only combines the technical advantages of 3G and WLAN but also is a technical innovation of 3G, was invented to meet the development needs of data communication and multimedia services. Undoubtedly, 4G has a huge potential for future development and market demand. At the end of 2013, CMCC, China Unicom and China Telecom got 4G license, which means 4G formally enters the big market in China.In terms of the fourth generation mobile communication technology, the core technology and the international standard are the key characters. Therefore, the enterprises which own core patents can obtain the dominance and excess earnings in the international markets. This paper is based on the patent data, and utilizes the USPTO Patent Databases and EPODOC as the data source. Also, using the methods such as patentometiles, patent citation, social network analysis, cluster analysis, multi-dimensional scaling analysis and the tools of Excel, Ucinet, Netdraw, SPSS, we product an overall analysis of the current situation and trend of 4G from two aspects which are the competitive environments and competitors. Based on the study result,we consider co-opetition as the method to improve the ability of R&D and international competitive position of the communication enterprises in China.First of all, the third chapter analyzes the technological maturity, regional distribution and technological state from the perspective of the competitive environment. Through the analysis of the first level, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the competitive environment and the technique development of 4G at home and abroad. Then we evaluate the development trends of 4G and the overall technical state of communication industry. Secondly, the fourth chapter analyzes the competitive enterprises from the aspects of the strengths of R&D, strategic group and technological layout, in order to mine the potential competitors and cooperative partners, and to recognize the core competences and the competitive situation of China. Finally, we come to the conclusion that the number of patents of 4G surged in 2008, and 4G in China is experiencing the technical mature period currently. At present, the researches about 4G mainly focus on the data information transmission and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, etc. However, compared the 4G technology in China with those in the USA and South Korea, the gap is still large. Based on the summarizing the existing problem of the development of 4G in China, we think the specific, targeted co-opetition from the aspects of nation and enterprise can lead the communication industry of China to a healthy competition and help enterprises to enter the core R&D field.