China has invested heavily in 5G research and development, and many leaders in the US want to make 5G more of a priority in order to better compete. Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul has introduced a bill that would push the Secretary of State to utilize existing State Department funding to increase the “representation and leadership” of the U.S. with the international telecommunication organizations that set 5G standards.
“China’s majority control of the world’s 5G networks, interconnected devices and cloud storage is a risk we cannot accept,” McCaul told Reuters. “We have to show up and compete with them.”
The Defense Innovation Board recently released a report indicating that China is well ahead of the US in 5G development. “The country that owns 5G will own many of these innovations and set the standards for the rest of the world,” the report stated. “That country is currently not likely to be the United States.”
