Firm ownership, quality of government and innovation: Evidence from patenting in the telecommunication industry

•We explore the potential role of state-invested enterprises (SIEs) in the telecommunication sector as investors in innovation.•Public ownership is positively correlated to patenting activity.•For both state-invested and private companies improvements in institutional quality are positively associated with firm-level patenting.•The relation is stronger under public ownership.•We highlight the role of SIEs as patient investors.