U.S. Behind China in 5G Race due to ‘Pathetic’ Performance

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt criticized the U.S. government for its slow 5G rollout, arguing that its “dithering” has left America “well behind” China.  

Dr. Schmidt wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal alongside Harvard government professor Graham Allison, saying that the U.S. is “far behind in almost every dimension of 5G while other nations – including China – race ahead”.  

“The step up to real 5G speeds will lead to analogous breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles, virtual-reality applications like the metaverse, and other areas that have yet to be invented,” Schmidt and Allison noted.  

“Applications abound that could advantage a country’s intelligence agencies and enhance its military capabilities.”  

As such, the pair also accused the U.S. of falling behind in a number of areas while noting that China’s average 5G download speed is significantly faster than that of the U.S. 

The authors urged the Biden administration to make 5G a “national priority.” Otherwise, they said, “China will own the 5G future.”  

“Mobile internet speed is a central advancement of 5G, which enables a new domain of breakthrough applications with potent economic and national-security implications,” Allison and Schmidt said.  

The duo also said that Huawei, China’s biggest telecommunications equipment maker, still dominates the market “although American sanctions have hurt Huawei.”  

In parallel, China has been “rapidly allocating the most efficient part” of the wireless spectrum, called mid-band, to telecommunications companies. They claimed that both telecom operators AT&T and Verizon are using the same spectrum band for both their 4G and 5G networks.  

“On current trajectories, by 2030, it will likely lead the US in the number of semiconductor chips it produces and in applications of biotechnology to defeat diseases like cancer,” they added.  

Dr. Schmidt is criticizing the American government for a while now because of its actions regarding technologies that he sees as important for the future. most importantly, he has issued several warnings concerning the threat of China taking over in the area.