Eric Schmidt: US must make 5G a top priority or China determines the future
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, has lashed out at the US government in an opinion piece. Schmidt argues that the US is lagging behind in the race to 5G compared to China, which Schmidt says is investing more money and threatens to determine the future of 5G.
“The United States is lagging behind on almost every aspect of 5G, while other countries, including China, are taking flight,” the man said in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal along with Harvard professor Graham Allison. US President Joe Biden should make 5G a national priority, according to Schmidt and Allison. “Otherwise, China will determine the future of 5G.”
Schmidt cites the 5G download speeds achieved in the country as an example for the backlog in the United States. “The average download speed of 5G in the US is 75Mbit/s. In the most urban areas in China, users with a compatible phone can get 300Mbit/s over 5G,” said Schmidt. “In South Korea, researchers even claim that they can achieve more than 400Mbit/s via the new technology.” According to Schmidt and Allison, the targeted 5G speeds will lead to breakthroughs in the development of autonomous vehicles, VR applications such as the metaverse, and other applications yet to be invented. Intelligence services and military units will also benefit from the new technology, according to the two men.
According to Schmidt, the 5G upload speed also leaves a lot to be desired in many American cities. In Boston, Chicago and New York City, provider AT&T’s 5G speeds are at least 10 percent lower than their 4G network. “In Washington, Los Angeles and Austin, the 5G speeds of provider Sprint are 20 percent lower than the company’s 4G network.”
Schmidt is also targeting 5G infrastructure and China’s dominance in this sector. “Despite the fact that the US sanctions against Huawei have really hurt the Chinese company, Huawei still serves 30 percent of the market,” it said. “After all, strategically important countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey all have 5G infrastructure that comes from the company.” According to the two gentlemen, Huawei is still the world leader in 5G infrastructure and they note in the opinion piece that there is not a single American company that currently offers 5G infrastructure abroad.