Trump’s rush to build a national 5G network may backfire, give China the technological edge
The programme drawn up by US President Donald Trump’s national security team could backfire and slow down 5G deployment in America, analysts said
A plan by US President Donald Trump’s national security team to build a government-owned 5G network, designed to counter the threat of China spying on calls, is seen as reflecting the mistrust by Washington towards Chinese hi-tech capabilities.
Some analysts, however, expect that plan to backfire on the US and slow down the country’s deployment of the latest advance in mobile technology.
That programme to develop a centralised nationwide 5G mobile network within three years was first reported by US news site Axios, which cited documents from a senior National Security Council official.
In a separate report, Reuters confirmed the plan from a senior administration official who said it was “six to eight months away from being considered by the president himself”.
That 5G plan would see the federal government take over such infrastructure roll-out over the next few years from US mobile carriers AT&T, Verizon Communications and T-Mobile.
It also suggested that the US would be able to establish a secure wireless platform for emerging technologies, such as autonomous driving and virtual reality.