Build a 5G Network

A number of press outlets (like Reuters ) today published speculation that the U.S. might want to build its own 5G network.  While I do agree that is an idea worth considering, the story this is based upon actually says something else.  It says that the U.S. considered several options, among which was to build a National 5G network, which would be “unprecedented” and seemingly unwanted.  But, they also considered letting the carriers build their own.  Both options were said to be considered because their source of this - a PowerPoint slide given by “National Security Council Official” gave the reasoning for building their own as   “China has achieved a dominant position in the manufacture and operation of network infrastructure,” something I expressed concerns about in my first book.  Note those two things - manufacture and operations.  The Chinese not just making the equipment to run a network, they are buying up access points to networks over the whole world, mostly though teaming arrangements and agreements that give them access.  

I’m pretty sure that would not be breaking news to anyone on the National Security Council.  A couple of cautions for you here before you take something like this as “fact”.   First, there are more PowerPoint presentations floating around in Washington than there are atoms in the universe, and most of them have been presented to a number of people several times.  In our regular meetings, we saw ten every day.  Most are interesting in some way, but none of them will keep you up nights unless you drank coffee in all the sessions.     Those are then distributed to all the parties at the briefings so they can make their own slides and show them in different forms.  This gets out of hand sometimes.  

Second, it takes years to get something this big into production, so nobody is calling for a budget for this in this year’s budget.  I want to see one of those that says how we get production of chips, software, servers, and authentication of these devices back in our hands.  Germany, France and Italy should be thinking about that too.