US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency and banned Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from the country’s 5G networks.
In an executive order, Trump handed sweeping powers to the US government to stop American companies doing business with foreign suppliers of mobile equipment, of which Huawei is the biggest, for reasons of national security.
In a long-running dispute, which has coincided with the US-China trade war, Washington has repeatedly claimed that Huawei’s equipment could be used for spying and industrial espionage by Beijing.
In a previous order, Trump banned all government departments from using Huawei equipment and has urged its allies around the world to do the same.
What is 5G and what does it mean for the ports and terminals industry? Find out by reading a brand new Port Technology technical paper
As well as imposing approximately US$400 billion tariffs on each other’s goods since January 2017, the US and China have also been battling to dominate the upcoming 5G market.
5G refers to the next-generation of mobile networks that promise super-fast download speeds and the ability to underpin innovative technologies.
For the ports and terminals industry, it is currently one of the biggest talking points and is seen by some as a means of improving efficiencies and data handling.
The Port of Hamburg and Nokia spent much 2018 developing an industrial 5G testbed, which was hailed as a success in November that year.
Cover image courtesy of Gage Skidmore
