Image credit: CNAS
February 23, 2022
Europe’s Path to Digital Sovereignty Will Be Paved With 5G Technology
Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson are two of the world’s preeminent telecommunications equipment manufacturers but their position is not assured. China’s Huawei remains the global leader in the telecommunications infrastructure market.
In response to U.S. efforts to curtail its activity in developed markets—which contributed substantially to Nokia and Ericsson’s resurgence—Huawei is focusing on emerging markets, where it can undercut competitor pricing by 30 percent.
To preserve European technology leadership in telecommunications, Europe should lead on open radio access networks (open RAN) technologies instead of opposing them.
Open RAN is a fundamental rethink of how wireless networks run. While previously networks used one hardware vendor, open RAN uses software to enable multiple hardware vendors to be used. This helps lower costs and allows for newer entrants to the wireless infrastructure market.
Nokia and Ericsson acknowledge this. At the same time, both companies offer critiques of open RAN. This is no surprise given that rapid adoption of open RAN would upend their current hardware-centered business model.
Some European analysts have also expressed concerns about the presence of Chinese companies in the O-RAN Alliance, an industry grouping dedicated to setting open RAN specifications. They argue the U.S., Japan, and Europe should not move forward with open RAN technology because Chinese companies are involved in standardizing it.
Read the full article from Fortune.
More from CNAS
-
China Is Flirting With AI Catastrophe
Today’s AI sprint would not be the first time Beijing’s desire to hasten progress invited disaster....
By Bill Drexel & Hannah Kelley
-
The Trajectory of the War in Ukraine
The trajectory of the war in Ukraine hinges on the outcome of the widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Recent events spell trouble for Russia as Pro-Ukrainian Russia...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Gustav Gressel
-
Ukraine's Delayed Offensive, IVG Reproduction, Preparing for Debt Default
Ukraine has been preparing for months to launch a counteroffensive against Russia's invasion, but the high stakes operation has seen many delays. Michael Kofman joins NPR Up F...
By Michael Kofman
-
What Does the Future Hold for Turkey?
Turkey’s presidential election is headed to a second round after no candidate won an outright majority on May 14. Ahead of the rematch between current President Erdoğan and op...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Steven A. Cook & Aslı Aydıntaşbaş