US Government Plans 5G Network to Prevent Chinese Surveillance

The US National Security Council and the administration of President Donald Trump are planning to create a unified 5G network within three years that would be protected from Chinese eavesdropping, according to Reuters.

“We want to build a network so the Chinese can’t listen to your calls,” a source from the Trump administration told the publication. According to the source, the US Intelligence Committee is concerned about espionage by Chinese technology companies, particularly Huawei and ZTE Corp, whose activities have been under investigation since 2012. Additionally, the government hopes that by building its own network, it can prevent Chinese providers from establishing a monopoly in the 5G market.

The Reuters source added that the government has already abandoned the idea of encouraging multiple competing 5G networks by different companies. Instead, it is now considering deploying a single, centralized network. Discussions are ongoing about whether the government or a consortium of technology companies will lead the development. The White House is expected to review a preliminary 5G network plan in 6 to 8 months.

At the end of last year, the global cellular regulator 3GPP published the first specifications for 5G technology. The requirements include support for low-frequency (600 MHz, 700 MHz), mid-frequency (3.5 GHz), and high-frequency (50 GHz) bands. The minimum data download speed in a 5G network should be 20 Gbps, with upload speeds starting at 10 Gbps. The network must also support one million connected devices per square kilometer.