US seems unable to stop Huawei’s 5G ascension

The US government is trying to thwart Huawei Technologies’ ascent in wireless technology.

The US government is trying to thwart Huawei Technologies’ ascent in wireless technology, but the Chinese company is determined to prevail.

Far from Washington, where the government has called Huawei a national security threat, the world’s largest maker of cellular-tower equipment is trying to guide the development and design of the next generation of mobile networks, dubbed 5G.

Huawei is sending large teams to industry-sponsored meetings — including one held recently in southern India. Just as the home-movie industry agreed years ago on specifications for DVD players, wireless-technology companies are meeting to establish 5G standards.

Huawei representatives are swamping such conferences with recommendations for how the new system should work, leveraging the company’s large research-and-development budget and its growing workforce of skilled engineers.

The US and Europe, drawing on the expertise of Western firms, were the quickest to roll out 3G and 4G mobile networks. Now, industry leaders say China, with Huawei’s leadership, is ahead in the race for the next stage. “5G will be made in China,” said Dimitris Mavrakis, a director at ABI Research.

Global powers, Market share of telecom equipment

The next-generation network promises better reliability and speed, as well as the potential to make the most of new technologies such as self-driving cars. But the industry, at meetings like the one in Chennai, is still crafting the technical details about how 5G will actually work.

Some companies are pushing certain standards that rely on technology they have the right to patent. Hardware manufacturers support standards that would accommodate products they have been developing.

Huawei, the world’s No 3 smartphone maker, sent 40 representatives to the Chennai meeting, behind only the 41 from South Korean smartphone giant Samsung, There were 30 delegates from San Diego-based chip maker Qualcomm, while Huawei’s major wireless-equipment rivals, Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia, sent 25 and 18 representatives.

Chinese company representatives now hold 10 of the 57 chairman and vice chairman positions on decision-making panels at 3GPP, the France-based industry group overseeing the standard-setting process.

US leaders have made clear they are trying to prevent a world in which most telecom electronics are made by Huawei and its Chinese peers.