Research and innovation in internet of things in the technology and communications sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of IoT related patent applications in the industry stood at 1,975 in the three months ending February – down from 2,571 over the same period in 2021.

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Figures for patent grants related to IoT followed a similar pattern to filings – shrinking from 1,844 in the three months ending February 2021 to 1,408 in the same period in 2022.

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The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

IoT is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

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The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

Huawei Investment & Holding Co Ltd was the top IoT innovator in the technology and communications sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in China, filed 234 IoT related patents in the three months ending February. That was down from 291 over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the United States based Qualcomm Inc with 181 IoT patent applications, the United States based Apple Inc (169 applications), and South Korea based LG Corp (143 applications).

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NCR Corp has recently ramped up R&D in IoT. It saw growth of 86.7% in related patent applications in the three months ending February compared to the same period in 2021 – the highest percentage growth out of all companies tracked with more than 10 quarterly patents in the technology and communications sector.