Verizon has been active in the edge computing industry since back in 2009, making them one of the earliest major entries to the sector. In the past ten years (2011-2021), Verizon has sixty total patent assets, with 41 documents in Platform Non-Blockchain and 18 in Communications. However, Verizon’s first patent application in the blockchain category did not happen until 2021. Patent Forecast® has highlighted the opportunities that exist within the blockchain category in the past, with Akamai being the only company that has a strong portfolio in the space and Vapor IO as a potential startup to watch.

Currently the latest news for Verizon has been a recent partnership with IBM along with Telefonica for focusing on hybrid cloud, edge computing, and 5G. It will be worth watching to see if this patent trend continues for Verizon and if they expand within the blockchain industry as that would bring a second major player to the space. Verizon’s single patent application in blockchain relates to IoT security and could be for their smart communities solutions and IoT sensor efforts.

To keep an eye on other shifting patent trends within edge computing, check out the Edge Computing Patent Forecast®!