5G is Here – Huawei is Leading The Way and US Is So Afraid

It’s been several years since the move towards a better and faster mobile communication technology began. Well, like we’ve told you before the future is already here although right now it’s not yet evenly distributed. The long awaiting fasted speed in communication technology known as 5G is finally within reach. The new technology that makes 5G data transfer speeds possibly will be deployed in various markets around the world later this year opening the doors to new applications that are dependent on high-speed data transfers.

So far, it seems the imminent arrival of 5G is a major cause of concern for the United State government when it comes to one particular company: China’s Huawei.

“The US government isn’t only worried that Huawei device and networking equipment may be used by China to spy on Americans, but also that Huawei’s 5G advancements might overshadow the US.” – Source: Wall Street Journal

The worry is that China will get upper-hand of the 5G coverage before the US does, which will allow it to accelerate the development of specific 5G-reliant technologies, like self-driving cars. With the help of Huawei’s equipment, China would displace Silicon Valley as the world’s innovation center, policymakers in Washington and industry executives believe. Huawei last week unveiled several 5G-ready products at MWC 2018, including the first 5G customer premises equipment (CPE) pictured above that supports speeds of up to 2.3Gbps.

A couple of months ago, various United States intelligence agencies said that Huawei and ZTE products could be used for spying purposes, effectively barring carriers from selling Huawei’s latest Android flagship, as previously planned.

Earlier on, we learned that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) ordered Qualcomm to delay a shareholder vote on the proposed Broadcom acquisition. CFIUS explained that, following the purchase, Huawei could get the upper hand in the development of 5G technology. The letter specifically mentioned China’s most important smartphone maker. Broadcom, meanwhile, tried to dispel those concerns. saying that it’s cooperating with the committee and that it’s “absolutely committed to making the combined company a global leader in critical 5G and other technologies.”

These recent developments are a clear reason why the current administration has been toying with the idea of building a government-backed nationwide spread of 5G wireless network. The plan drew criticism from other officials and the wireless industry.

Verizon and AT&T, will start shipping its 5G in a few cities this year, which is exactly how the 4G LTE deployment began a few years ago. T-Mobile and Sprint will follow next year. Analysts expect China to go about 5G deployment differently. “The way the Chinese are going to approach it, it’s going to be blanketed,” Gartner analyst Ian Keene said.

Vodafone, meanwhile, the world’s second-largest carrier seems to have good trusts in China’s Huawei. “They are a very innovative company. They are very open. We never found anything less than normal in the Huawei equipment and software,” Vittorio Colao said last week. “It’s not like the Cisco router is very different. It’s made in China.”