Barr: China on Way to Decisive 5G Advantage

Attorney General Bill Barr signaled Thursday (May 21) that China is poised to take a big lead in the race to 5G.

Barr was commenting on the State Department's global roundtable with CTOs this week about 5G integrated open networks (IONs).

Related: FCC's Pai Says U.S. Will Lead in 5G Deployment

“The United States and our partners are in an urgent race against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to develop and build 5G infrastructure around the world," Barr said. "Our national security and the flourishing of our liberal democratic values here and around the world depend on our winning it. Future 5G networks will be a critical piece of global infrastructure, the central nervous system of the global economy. Unfortunately, the PRC is well on its way to seizing a decisive 5G advantage. If the PRC wins the 5G race, the geopolitical, economic, and national security consequences will be staggering."

"The PRC knows this, which explains why it is using every lever of power to expand its 5G market share around the globe. The community of free and democratic nations must do the same."

Barr said it is imperative that the U.S. and its partners work with trusted vendors to "turn the tide now."

The Trump Administration has made winning the race to 5G a national imperative.

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.