On Wednesday, a triggered warning took over Australian media around Huawei’s concerted push to lead 6G network deployment and development in Australia, with national security officials warning the strategy is a threat Western telecom sovereignty, according to Australian Financial Review.
In response, Beijing immediately decried the allegations as “groundless” and harmful to global collaboration.
Experts, and the Chinese ambassador clashed Wednesday over how Australia should approach next-generation communications, following the debate on Australia’s 6G network deployment.
Australia is once more deliberating on whether its decisions will make it lag others’ progress, as the government faces pressure to articulate a 6G development strategy and not repeat the delays that loaded its 5G deployment.
Concerns over Beijing’s Position
The debate followed various 6G networks warning presented in the Australian Financial Review, where a cybersecurity strategist said Australia must not be seduced by the promises of 6G advancements and quantum computing promises from China
National security officials warned that any Chinese collaboration would invite national security risks into the Australian economy.
Some analysts fear that Australia risks being left behind when it comes to the competition in 6G, with other regions advancing faster research and development (R&D).
According to Sky News, allowing an arm of an “authoritarian state” – that being Huawei – to build foundational telecom infrastructure would create espionage and coercion threats.
Experts argue the country needs to prioritize 6G infrastructure security and that early choices made in the process will set the course for emergency services, transport systems, finance, and public connectivity remain strong.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Jason Van der Schyff, told SkyNews.au that 6G next-generation wireless is basically “plumbing” the risk on Australia’s telecom sector, by creating a “structural dependence” on Chiha.
“Huawei’s founder liked to say they ‘sell plumbing.’ With 6G, that plumbing becomes the foundation of everything from emergency services, transport, and finance to daily life,” said Van der Schyff.
Currently, Australia is trying not to fall behind in the 6G race, especially after its Huawei ban in 2018, restricting the giant from supplying 5G equipment.
Some say the country needs to ensure that any future 6G network deployment is based on trusted supply chains and not on systems that are vulnerable to foreign control.
Others believe that Australia should help shape global 6G standards early to avoid finding itself technologically dependent on countries with competing interests.
CyberCX strategist Alastair MacGibbon, warned that the collaboration would weaken Australia’s 6G capabilities, because dependence on China would tie critical systems to a state that does not share their democratic values.
According to the Australian government, any partnership must undergo proper 6G equipment security vetting before entering national networks.
China Calls for Closer 6G Networks Collaborations
China believes that cooperation could underpin Australian growth, leveraging recent progress on the deployment of China 6G deployment and new policy frameworks in Beijing.
The Chinese government said that expanding China 6G networks presents opportunities for joint research and innovation.
“The 15th Five-Year Plan not only sounds the clarion call for China’s new journey toward socialist modernization and drives China’s economy to reach new heights but also injects fresh stability and certainty into global economic growth, including that of Australia,” Ambassador Xiao Qian wrote.
As discussions continue, Australia must decide whether its future approach to 6G network deployment will be shaped mainly by caution, competition, or cooperation. This is a choice that may define its digital landscape for decades.
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