Today’s advances in fifth-generation telecommunications (5G) promise a transformational technology that is critical to enabling the next industrial revolution. 5G will provide massive benefits for future economic development and national competitiveness, including certain military applications. 5G is far more than simply a faster iteration of 4G. The benefits include its high speed, low latency, and high throughput, which enable data flows at vastly greater speed and volume than today’s 4G networks. Future smart cities will rely on 5G, autonomous vehicles will depend on this increased connectivity, future manufacturing will leverage 5G to enable improved automation, and even agriculture could benefit from these advances. The advent of 5G could contribute trillions to the world economy over the next couple of decades, setting the stage for new advances in productivity and innovation.
The United States risks losing a critical competitive advantage if it fails to capitalize upon the opportunity and manage the challenges of 5G. Today, China seems poised to become a global leader and first mover in 5G. The United States may be situated in a position of relative disadvantage. The U.S. government has yet to commit to any funding or national initiatives in 5G that are close to comparable in scope and scale to those of China, which is dedicating hundreds of billions to 5G development and deployment. There are also reasons for serious concern about the long-term viability and diversity of global supply chains in this industry. Huawei, a Chinese company with global ambitions, seems to be on course to become dominant in 5G, establishing new pilots and partnerships worldwide.
The stakes are high because 5G will be a vital component of future critical infrastructure, presenting new risks and novel threats of disruption or exploitation. The current degree of consolidation in the industry exacerbates the risks of market failure. It is particularly concerning because Huawei’s products and services have been assessed to be highly insecure, yet remain attractive to certain countries that fear falling behind in 5G and because of Huawei’s ability to undercut competitors on price. However, the notion of a “race for 5G” is problematic and can be misleading. To ensure security will be more important than speed in establishing a durable foundation for 5G’s future.
Although there are encouraging indications the U.S. government is starting to concentrate more on 5G, the policies to date have not yet proved commensurate with what is at stake. The Trump administration must also reframe and reorient its approach to competition in 5G, because the notion of “America first in the race to 5G” is not a winning strategy, nor should the aim of the United States be to deploy 5G as quickly as possible. U.S. policy should focus on promoting the security, collaboration, and healthy competition that are so vital to the future of 5G, in close collaboration with allies and partners.
Such a strategy should recognize that the U.S. government can and must play a critical role in promoting innovation through investing in 5G as a new foundation for American competitiveness in the fourth industrial revolution. Moreover, speed must not come at the expense of security, and future 5G networks should be secure by design from the start. An American 5G strategy should encompass five main lines of effort.
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