Times of India: Orwellian Option

US-Sino trade tensions run high, especially since the arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive in Canada. Huawei reports it supplies equipment to 45 of the world’s 50 largest telecommunications companies, so the trade war could soon ensnare other nations like India. “Three of India’s top telephone carriers use Huawei equipment and the company has been invited to take part in the next generation 5G mobile technology trial,” explains Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online in his column for the Times of India. The US worries about China undermining its technological dominance, and “the long planned arrest forms part of an organised American effort to counter, in the words of FBI, ‘the most severe counterintelligence threat’ from China and thwart its plans to take over the commanding heights of 5G technology.” Huawei is determined to conquer 5G markets, investing $800 million in the technology’s development this year and hiring thousands of researchers, including about 4,000 engineers in Bengaluru, reports Chanda. He adds, “5G promises to vastly increase data transmission speed enabling full deployment of virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology … instantly connecting all internet connected devices.” The surveillance opportunities could be endless. – YaleGlobal