Research on the evolution path of 5G technology from the perspective of social network analysis: based on the analysis of China and the United States patent citations

Based on the Derwent patent index database, this paper takes the data source of 5G technology-related patents of China and the United States from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2019. It uses the social network analysis method to conduct a comparative study on the cooperative innovation network and evolution path of 5G technology between China and the United States. The paper’s results present that: (1) the scale of the 5G technology industry in the two countries continues to expand, and the field of patented technology continues to improve, (2) The number of 5G technology-related patents in China exceeds that in the United States, but China lacks core patents, the quality of 5G technology innovation lags that in the United States, (3) Most of the resources in the innovation networks in China and the US are controlled by large companies, but the level of cooperation among Chinese patentees is not as high as that in the US. (4) Patentees collaborate in innovation networks as frequently as periods change.