A trilogy of corruption and bribery cases centered around Uzbekistan's telecommunications market have reverberated through international courts, highlighting just how severe the global risks can be of deciding to pay off politically connected elites in even the most closed and far-off countries.
Russia has become Huawei's fastest growing market as Moscow seeks to reduce dependence on Western technological infrastructure, and the Chinese tech company recently announced a partnership with Russia's Sberbank to develop a cloud platform.
Oppo, China's second-largest smartphone producer, has teamed up with 11 carriers around the world and plans to invest $7 billion in its new 5G technologies rollout as part of an effort to take overseas market share from top competitor Huawei, Nikkei reports.
In order to accomplish a nationwide 5G rollout by the first half of 2020, Malaysia is looking to Chinese and Japanese telecommunications companies to supply the needed technology and expertise. Proposals are currently dominated by Huawei, and Malaysian officials have affirmed the country's willingness to work with the controversial Chinese firm, Nikkei reports.
If the United States and its allies want to prevent China from dominating next-generation technologies and networks, they must incentivize Western companies to take greater risks in next-generation markets.
India is assessing the security of Chinese firm Huawei's telecommunications equipment as it builds a national 5G network. Despite Huawei's assurances, Indian officials remain worried that the firm's close ties to the Chinese government could allow Chinese intelligence services to exploit vulnerabilities in its technology, reports Nikkei.
The U.S.-China trade war is leading China to develop standards for 5G and other connectivity technologies that may be incompatible with U.S. built standards, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Two U.S. lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday urged the Trump administration to step-up its criticism of Huawei's products, expressing "deep concern" that the administration may make concessions on Huawei when negotiating a trade deal with China, reports the Nikkei Asian review.
Huawei's intellectual property chief has demanded Verizon Communications pay the Chinese firm for intellectual property licensing fees on network infrastructure and equipment, as well as "internet of things" technology, reports Nikkei.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan lead the rollout of 5G networks, but industry leaders say that applications designed to use the next-generation technology are years away, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Chinese and Russian enterprises signed roughly $20B in business deals in Moscow on Wednesday. Much of the deals focused on the energy sector and 5G mobile technology, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is expected to issue 5G licenses to the state-owned China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom as early as this month, accelerating the country's 5G rollout, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country would use Huawei equipment "as much as possible" in Malaysia's 5G network, despite U.S. warnings that it is not secure, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Chinese telecom giant Huawei's strides in undersea cables, a critical component of telecom infrastructure, is raising alarm in the U.S., Japan, and Australia. Huawei is said to be involved in around 30 undersea cable projects at the moment, Nikkei reports.
Cambodian state-owned telecommunications companies have teamed up with China's Huawei to roll out a 5G network in 2020. However, experts say it could be years before 5G reaches ordinary Cambodians due to the scale of investment needed and the high cost of 5G handsets, reports Nikkei.
This episode of the ChinaPower's podcast investigates the evolving political and economic circumstances surrounding Chinese telecommunications company Huawei and its attempts to integrate its technology in global markets.
Some European countries are allowing equipment from China's Huawei into their 5G networks. A full ban is not seen as cost-efficient where Huawei gear is already incorporated into national 4G wireless infrastructure, reports Nikkei.
Even as Huawei faces resistance in Western airwaves, it is racing ahead under the world’s seas in a commercial contest that could eventually provide China with strategic advantages.
Last month, the Thai junta issued an order granting loan extensions of 60 million baht to three major telecom operators to stimulate 5G rollout. However, the loan extensions may not be enough to prod the companies into action, as 5G development could wind up costing as much as 100 billion baht, reports Nikkei.
The United Kingdom's National Security Council has barred Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for sensitive "core" components of its 5G network. However, Prime Minister Theresa May has accepted the National Cyber Security Center's conclusion that the risk from Huawei's participation can be mitigated, and thus will allow the company to contribute equipment to "non-core" parts of the network, reports Nikkei.
Over the next 15 years, more hard infrastructure is projected to be built around the world than currently exists. As our infrastructure is transformed, so will be the economies it fuels, the regions it connects, and the global commons it underpins. These trends are too powerful and potentially beneficial for the United States to stop, and too consequential to ignore.
China's foreign minister Wang Yi pressed the Japanese government to reverse a ban on Huawei from competing for Japan's 5G procurement contracts. This development comes as the Chinese government steps in to defend Huawei against a campaign by the United States pushing allies to exclude the company's equipment from their 5G networks out of national security concerns, reports Nikkei.
Germany’s telecoms regulator has given the clearest signal yet that equipment maker Huawei will not be excluded from the country’s 5G network roll-out, despite fierce pressure from the US to shut out the controversial Chinese supplier for security reasons, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Major Japanese companies across industrial sectors are signing partnerships with Japanese telecommunication firms to develop products and services that make use of the super-charged national 5G network, set to open in 2020. The Japanese government is encouraging these partnerships, claiming that 5G will be the "basic infrastructure" of the 21st century, reports Nikkei.
Huawei has mounted a full-court press to allay India's security concerns about adopting the Chinese telecommunication company's 5G equipment. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan's enthusiastic integration of Huawei's low-cost equipment into their mobile networks has been heralded by the company as examples of why New Dehli's concerns are overblown, reports Nikkei.
A bitter battle has broken out between U.S. and South Korean telecom companies as each side claims to have launched the world's first commercial 5G network. Verizon accused South Korea's big three carriers (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus) of a "PR stunt" after they pulled forward a launch planned for Friday, in a bid to claim the title, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
China and the U.S. are better prepared for the 5G mobile era than any other country, even though South Korea is about to become the first to launch the super fast communications services this week, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Thailand and Vietnam have announced plans to start 5G services as early as 2020. The Southeast Asian nations are scrambling to introduce 5G networks, determined not to fall behind developed nations, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters Germany will "consult with the U.S." about the risks of allowing Huawei to help build the country's 5G network. The announcement comes as Washington threatens to halt intelligence sharing with allies who refuse to ban the Chinese telecommunications firm from 5G equipment contracts, reports Nikkei.
New Delhi is looking to restrict Huawei’s involvement in the country’s 5G network but hopes to do so without appearing to single out the company. One option under consideration is limiting the ban to 5G projects in India’s disputed border areas.
5G services are expected to become widely available in India sometime in the early 2020s, with Deloitte estimating total investment required at $70 billion.
Intel has ended a partnership to share its latest 5G modem chips with China's state-backed mobile chipmaker, Unisoc, amid concerns that the technology transfer could cause problems in Washington, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Southeast Asia’s strategic importance for China, the United States, Japan, and others, and the advantages that will come with control over data flows, mean that the region’s decisions on digital infrastructure and internet governance will have implications that far transcend business outcomes.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged allies Saturday at the annual Munich Security Conference to be vigilant and avoid deals with Huawei Technologies. Pence emphasized the risks linked to equipment made by Huawei and other Chinese telecom manufacturers, saying those companies must be shunned due to national security concerns, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Huawei's Vietnam chief says the company has received assurances from the country's communications minister that Vietnam remains "open" to Huawei's 5G technology. This comes on the heels of European countries announcing they will reconsider telecommunications partnerships with Huawei due to information security concerns.
The Philippines' leading wireless provider Globe Telecom is on track to launch its Huawei Technologies-backed 5G service in the next quarter. The Philippines has joined Thailand and Singapore that are open to tapping Huawei for 5G amid rising security concerns related to the Chinese telecom equipment supplier, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
China's Digital Silk Road is ambitious and includes fiber optic cables, 5G networks, satellites, smart cities, and the devices that connect to these systems. On February 5th, the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project hosted a discussion about these developments and their implications for U.S. economic and strategic interests.
Taking effect Friday, The economic partnership agreement between Japan and the European Union incorporates wide-ranging regulations on data transfer and intellectual property protection. The trade deal could help establish precedent for the digital field, Nikkei reports.
With an eye toward illuminating current issues, this report draws from examples throughout history of how states use foreign infrastructure to advance strategic objectives. It shows how China is updating and exercising tactics used by Western powers during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and how these issues, and the strategic implications they carry, are likely to intensify in the coming years.
"As demand for network bandwidth grows among Belt and Road countries, China will exert its technological dominance and set global standards through centrally-coordinated fiber-optic roll-outs, the establishment of data centers, and the deployment of communications, positioning, and observation satellites."
China's Belt and Road Initiative aims to dominate the next wave of wireless technology by becoming the global leader in the development of 5G networks.
Data sharing could revolutionize the efficiency of the entire global supply chain – from ship to train to truck and beyond.
From 3D printing to Hyperloop One, find out how emerging technologies are reshaping transportation, and with it, the world’s economic geography.