Knowledge Evolution in the Mobile Industry via Embedding-Based Topic Growth and Typology Analysis

The mobile industry has experienced long-run changes in its knowledge structure, including identifiable transition points observable through meaning-based analysis. Using abstracts from 86,674 mobile-industry publications published between 2005 and 2024, we embed documents with SPECTER2, build year-specific embedding distributions, and derive knowledge regimes by combining change-point detection with inter-year distribution distances. We then extract regime-specific topics via clustering and reconstruct topic lineages by aligning topic similarities to classify inheritance, differentiation, convergence, and disappearance. The analysis delineates three regimes spanning 2005 to 2012, 2013 to 2019, and 2020 to 2024, with pronounced transitions around 2012 to 2013 and 2019 to 2020. Regime 1 centers on foundational technologies such as wireless communication, power, sensors, and reliability. Regime 2 expands toward platforms, apps, and data analytics alongside cross-domain convergence. Regime 3 is characterized by strengthened 5G operations and data-driven services, together with the independent rise of policy, governance, and regulation topics. Transitions reflect recombination built on inherited knowledge rather than abrupt replacement, and post-transition topics display distinct growth typologies by network position and growth pattern. By integrating embedding-based change-point detection with topic-lineage reconstruction, we provide a reproducible account of regime transitions and quantitative evidence to inform the timing of corporate R&D, standard and platform strategies, and policy and regulatory design.