tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/5g-12603/articles5G – The Conversation2023-04-03T16:26:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2011322023-04-03T16:26:04Z2023-04-03T16:26:04ZHere’s how the Rogers-Shaw merger could benefit Canadian customers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518541/original/file-20230330-20-297ypl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C3679%2C2495&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rogers' takeover of Shaw has been approved by the Canadian government, but the deal comes with stringent conditions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Canadian government has finally approved the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rogers-shaw-approval-1.6797175">$26 billion takeover of Shaw by Rogers</a> after nearly two years of delays. When the merger was <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/03/15/2192622/0/en/Rogers-and-Shaw-to-come-together-in-26-billion-transaction-creating-new-jobs-and-investment-in-Western-Canada-and-accelerating-Canada-s-5G-rollout.html">first announced by Rogers in 2021</a>, it stirred up a significant amount of competition concern. </p>
<p>The Canadian Competition Bureau <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2023/01/statement-from-the-commissioner-of-competition-on-the-federal-court-of-appeals-decision-regarding-the-rogers-shaw-merger.html">was worried the merger would soften competition in the telecom industry</a>, resulting in higher prices and lower service quality for customers.</p>
<p>The bureau <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/competition-bureau-rogers-shaw-merger-1.6446827">filed a court application to block the deal in 2022</a>, but the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rogers-shaw-appeal-court-1.6724045">Federal Court of Appeal rejected the application</a> and the subsequent <a href="https://financialpost.com/telecom/rogers-shaw-merger-approval-appeal-court">appeal from the bureau</a>.</p>
<p>But Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne appears to have heeded some of these concerns. <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2023/03/statement-from-minister-champagne-concerning-competition-in-the-telecommunication-sector.html">In his statement on the merger</a>, the minister said the deal’s approval is contingent on a series of legally enforceable conditions for Rogers and Videotron, the company that Shaw is selling its Freedom Mobile wireless business to.</p>
<p>These conditions are to ensure this merger will, according to Champagne, “actually drive down prices across Canada.” With the advent of these conditions, this deal could end up benefiting Canadian consumers and the economy.</p>
<h2>Lowering service costs</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/these-are-the-conditions-and-penalties-if-violated-of-the-rogers-shaw-deal-1.6337353">Two of the merger’s conditions</a> require Rogers to set up low-cost mobile plans for low-income Canadians, and expand its existing low-cost internet plans. Rogers has good reason to meet these conditions — if it violates any of them, it could be fined up to $1 billion.</p>
<p>Meeting these low-cost conditions shouldn’t be an issue for the merged company. According to Rogers, the <a href="https://about.rogers.com/news-ideas/rogers-and-shaw-to-come-together-in-26-billion-transaction-creating-new-jobs-and-investment-in-western-canada-and-accelerating-canadas-5g-rollout/">financial benefit of the merger will be around $1 billion annually</a>. </p>
<p>Rogers will also be able to lower service costs through integration. Since Canada is such a large country geographically, but <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2018005-eng.htm">relatively small population-wise</a>, it would be wasteful for Rogers to build their own infrastructure, instead of taking advantage of Shaw’s.</p>
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<span class="caption">Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne speaks at a news conference about the Rogers-Shaw merger on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 31.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle</span></span>
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<p>Shaw has a fibre route in western Canada that is over 12,000 kilometres long — Rogers will be able to save money by using this pre-existing route to deliver its services, instead of building new networks.</p>
<h2>Increasing internet access</h2>
<p>This merger also has the potential to play a key role in Canada’s 5G infrastructure and increasing internet access for Canadians.</p>
<p>5G is the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/what-is-5g-here-is-short-video-primer/">fifth generation of mobile network technology</a>. It’s more reliable, faster and can handle more data than 4G can. In other words, it’s the future of wireless networks — a future Canada should capitalize on.</p>
<p>The merger’s conditions require Rogers to expand broadband internet access and 5G services across the country. This will be especially important for households in suburban and <a href="https://nationalpost.com/feature/left-behind-internet-access-rural-canada">rural areas in Canada</a>, since it’s harder for them to access fibre and internet alternatives.</p>
<p>Given that 98.6 per cent of households in urban areas can access to broadband, but <a href="https://www.ckom.com/2023/01/08/indigenous-communities-across-canada-working-to-provide-internet-access-for-underserved/">only 45.6 per cent of rural households and 34.8 per cent of First Nations reserves</a> can, the merger could benefit rural markets substantially.</p>
<h2>Revitalizing the economy</h2>
<p>5G services are estimated to <a href="https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2022/10/17/strengthening-canadas-position-leader-5g-and-digital-innovation">contribute $40 billion annually</a> and <a href="https://www.5gcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CWTA-Accenture-Whitepaper-5G-Economic-Impact_Updates_WEB_06-19-2018.pdf">250,000 jobs to Canada by 2026</a>. Another one of the merger’s conditions is that Rogers create 3,000 jobs in Western Canada and maintain them for at least a decade.</p>
<p>These new jobs will be particularly important for Alberta, where Shaw’s home office is and where the company’s western headquarters will be located. The province has been <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-analysts-closely-watching-drastic-oil-slump-1.6316500">struggling with low oil prices</a> and <a href="https://www.iisd.org/publications/search-prosperity-oil-alberta-canada">declining oil demand</a> caused by a combination of market forces and international climate policies.</p>
<p>This merger could help Alberta diversify and sustain its economy <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-provincial-sales-tax-is-the-solution-to-albertas-fiscal-roller-coaster-191147">so it no longer needs to rely so heavily on the oil industry</a> for income. It could even help transition Calgary from an oil city to a technology hub.</p>
<p>It’s important to note, however, that this merger may still increase competition in the telecom industry in the short term, despite the federal government’s attempts to mitigate this with their stringent deal conditions. But in the long run, this deal could ultimately lead to increased innovation, which in turn, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-your-company-needs-an-innovation-strategy-in-2023-197186">would benefit consumers as well</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201132/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor Song does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The new conditions that have been heaped onto Rogers as a result of the Rogers-Shaw merger could end up benefiting Canadian consumers and the economy at large.Victor Song, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2016792023-03-20T13:03:50Z2023-03-20T13:03:50ZUS-China tensions: how Africa can avoid being caught in a new Cold War<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515740/original/file-20230316-24-i50sjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and then U.S Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands in Beijing on December 4, 2013. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lintao Zhang/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>China’s foreign ministry published a 4,000-word analysis entitled <a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/202302/t20230220_11027664.html">US Hegemony and its Perils</a> on 20 February. It’s an indictment of alleged US foreign interference, intimidation and interventions that began 200 years ago. </p>
<p>This was followed by President Xi Jinping’s <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/07/economy/china-two-sessions-xi-jinping-speech-us-challenges-intl-hnk/index.html">accusation</a> at the Communist Party National Congress in March that the US was pursuing an <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/03/07/china-s-xi-condemns-us-led-suppression-of-china_6018440_4.html">unprecedented</a> global policy to contain and suppress Chinese development. </p>
<p>US official reaction to the Chinese accusations has been muted. But the recent US shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">escalated tensions</a>. There are fears that escalating US-Chinese tensions <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-two-elephants-fight-how-the-global-south-uses-non-alignment-to-avoid-great-power-rivalries-199418">might threaten the independence</a> of African and other nonaligned nations.</p>
<p>This essay seeks to contribute to an overdue debate among Africans about how to avoid being entangled in US-China global rivalry, while maintaining productive partnerships with both nations. It draws on my <a href="https://saiia.org.za/people/john-stremlau/">many years of teaching and research </a>on Africa’s changing international relations. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/africa-can-use-great-power-rivalry-to-its-benefit-here-is-how-172662">Africa can use great power rivalry to its benefit: Here is how</a>
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<p>I hope it will encourage other scholars and policy makers across Africa to assess the hegemony statement in the light of their own interests and values. Finally, this essay is intended to encourage debate about what each topic realistically implies for Africa continent. </p>
<p>The topics in the statement are: </p>
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<li><p>political hegemony – (America) throwing its weight around</p></li>
<li><p>military hegemony – wanton use of force</p></li>
<li><p>economic hegemony – looting and exploitation</p></li>
<li><p>technological hegemony – monopoly and suppression</p></li>
<li><p>cultural hegemony – spreading false narratives.</p></li>
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<p>Although Chinese rhetoric is harsh, the initiatives and interactions of China and the US in Africa under each heading illustrate my general belief that their competition in Africa has been – and can be – both peaceful and productive. </p>
<h2>Political hegemony</h2>
<p>China’s indictment ranges from US efforts at hemispheric domination <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/monroe-doctrine-declared">beginning in the early 19th century</a> to fomenting the <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Colour-Revolutions-in-the-Former-Soviet-Republics-Successes-and-Failures/Beachain-Polese/p/book/9780415625470">“colour revolutions”</a> – non-violent protests that overthrew autocratic regimes in the three post-Soviet republics Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.</p>
<p>But, China’s vision of the US glosses over the volatility of US <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/iraq-war-vietnam-syndrome-leaders?utm_medium=newsletters&utm_source=fatoday&utm_campaign=The%20Strange%20Case%20of%20Iraq%20Syndrome&utm_content=20230315&utm_term=FA%20Today%20-%20112017">domestic politics</a>. Domestic concerns can alter foreign policy, a leader’s ideology, and political and historical circumstances.</p>
<p>Domestically, China too has undergone several political upheavals since the civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in <a href="https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/china-in-xis-new-era-the-return-to-personalistic-rule/">1949</a>. If China underestimates US domestic swings, US analysts may exaggerate the global impact of Chinese <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-yuen-yuen-ang.html">internal pressures</a>. During my election work for the Carter Centre in Africa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/jimmy-carter-the-american-president-whose-commitment-to-africa-went-beyond-his-term-200745">from 2006-2015</a>, I was impressed by Chinese and American representatives able to seek common ground and learn from each other. </p>
<p>At higher levels of diplomacy, China and the US have used summits with African leaders to set broad guidelines of cooperation in trade and investment, climate, public health, building infrastructure and other areas. These should help African leaders decide areas of comparative advantage for them, in dealing with the two major powers. The <a href="http://www.focac.org/eng/">Forum on China-Africa Cooperation</a> differs from US initiatives, the most recent being the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/15/fact-sheet-u-s-africa-partnership-in-promoting-peace-security-and-democratic-governance/">US-Africa Partnership in Promoting Peace, Security, and Democratic Governance</a>. Neither major power appears to me to harbour hegemonic presumptions, as African leaders test their abilities to be productively nonaligned. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/us-africa-summit-four-things-african-leaders-should-try-to-get-out-of-it-196429">US-Africa summit: four things African leaders should try to get out of it</a>
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<p>These high-level channels to both superpowers might yield more if African regional economic communities and the African Union made more concerted efforts to develop complementary and cumulative strategies for pressing African priorities. Extending the US <a href="https://agoa.info/about-agoa.html">African Growth and Opportunity Act</a> to ensure favourable access to US markets is one example. Managing debt obligations for China’s important <a href="https://theconversation.com/where-africa-fits-into-chinas-massive-belt-and-road-initiative-78016">“Belt and Road”</a> investments in African infrastructure is another. </p>
<h2>Military and economic hegemony</h2>
<p>The differences in what Africa had to contend with during the US-Soviet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War">Cold War</a> and today’s <a href="https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-china-relations">US-China rivalry</a> are most pronounced in areas of military and economic hegemony.</p>
<p>Neither China nor the US seem poised to use Africa to test political military resolve, as the US and Soviets did when they fought <a href="https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/history/proxy-wars-during-cold-war-africa/">proxy wars in Angola</a> during the 1970s, for example.</p>
<p>African national and multilateral bodies should lobby China and America to back <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/role-peacekeeping-africa">African-led peace operations</a> within African states.</p>
<p>Globally, economic interdependence between China and the US will remain <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/08/12/the-new-normal-in-us-china-relations-hardening-competition-and-deep-interdependence/">vital</a> for sustained growth and prosperity for both nations. Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are committed to reviving their domestic economies. They both want greater equality, less corruption, and sustained growth. Neither appears to want or need to foment conflicts in Africa.</p>
<p>African governments rightly pursue support from both China and the US for regional integration and cooperation, such as the <a href="https://au-afcfta.org/">African Continental Free Trade Area</a>. Greater Chinese and US economic engagement in response to African collective appeals could also become a confidence building measure between China and the US. This rarely happened during the Cold War. Back then, the US was aligned with European colonial powers and the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Soviets <a href="https://theconversation.com/history-may-explain-south-africas-refusal-to-condemn-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-178657">backed liberation forces</a>. Today, such polarisation doesn’t exist.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/peace-and-security-in-africa-how-china-can-help-address-weaknesses-156219">Peace and security in Africa: how China can help address weaknesses</a>
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<p>The Chinese statement on US hegemony rightly notes the US is plagued by <a href="https://time.com/guns-in-america/">domestic violence</a> and has a history of failures in military interventions. [<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-use-and-abuse-of-military-force/">US analysts acknowledge</a>] this. </p>
<p>But US domestic resistance to new foreign military adventures <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/new-poll-shows-public-overwhelmingly-opposed-to-endless-us-military-interventions/">became bipartisan and popular for the past decade</a>. </p>
<p>African nations should hold America and China to account for their avowed commitments to respecting core <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter">UN principles</a> of sovereign equality and territorial integrity. Equally, they must hold Russia to account for blatantly violating those principles <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/28/russia-ukraine-biden-eu-when-diplomacy-fails/">by invading Ukraine</a>.</p>
<h2>Technological hegemony</h2>
<p>Benefits and risks of new technologies are <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/events/emerging-technologies-and-the-future-of-work-in-africa/">well known</a>. Communication, data retrieval and collection, and artificial intelligence bring both <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/the-promises-and-perils-of-africas-digital-revolution/">promise and peril</a> that Africa must navigate carefully. This is becoming all the more pressing as progress in artificial intelligence <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/15/how-do-ai-models-like-gpt-4-work-and-how-can-you-start-using-it">accelerates</a>. Neither China nor the US need to be hegemonic in making available technologies that spur Africa’s development. </p>
<p>More issues of contention need to be resolved with the help of scientists and scholars from China, US, and Africa. The availability of Huawei 5G is a <a>particularly contentious issue</a>. Perhaps interested scientists and members of the <a href="https://arua.org.za/about/#:%7E:text=The%20African%20Research%20Universities%20Alliance%20(ARUA)%20was%20inaugurated%20in%20Dakar,but%20with%20a%20common%20vision">African Research Universities Alliance</a> could work with their Chinese and US counterparts to establish guidelines and mediation capabilities. </p>
<h2>Cultural hegemony</h2>
<p>US crimes against Africans began in earnest in <a href="https://time.com/5653369/august-1619-jamestown-history/">1619</a> with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-west-is-morally-bound-to-offer-reparations-for-slavery-153544">trans-Atlantic slave trade</a>. Its sediments persist <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/">today</a>. </p>
<p>But? The African diaspora has become a <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/why-are-blacks-democrats">key political constituency</a> of the Democratic Party. It is a fast growing <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/facts-about-the-us-black-population/#:%7E:text=In%202021%2C%20there%20were%20an,Black%20Americans%20are%20div">demographic</a>. In music, sports, arts, these Americans are invaluable conveyors of <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/africasource/africa-is-americas-greatest-geopolitical-opportunity-does-the-us-know-it/">soft power in Africa</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-china-us-rivalry-is-not-a-new-cold-war-it-is-way-more-complex-and-could-last-much-longer-144912">The China-US rivalry is not a new Cold War. It is way more complex and could last much longer</a>
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<p>China does not have similar ties with Africa. But, it has recently become more active culturally across the continent, as evident in its network of <a href="http://www.news.cn/english/2021-11/26/c_1310334064.htm#:%7E:text=61%20Confucius%20Institutes%2C%2048%20Confucius%20Classrooms%20established%20in%20Africa%3A%20white%20paper,-Source%3A%20Xinhua%7C%202021">Confucius Institutes</a>. China has also become the biggest donor of <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2020112410303875">foreign scholarships</a>, enabling future African leaders to study in China. Graduates enrich African universities and, interacting with graduates of US institutions of higher education, represent potential channels to explore options for three way, useful collaboration in their fields of applied research. </p>
<h2>Looking forward</h2>
<p>This essay reflects my belief in the value and prospects for greater African agency in response to rising tensions between China and America. I have used China’s indictment of alleged US hegemony only to debunk fear of Africa becoming a pawn in another Cold War. There is no evidence I have seen to suggest that will happen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201679/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John J Stremlau does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are fears that escalating US-Chinese tensions could threaten the independence of African and other nonaligned nations.John J Stremlau, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1994182023-02-14T13:43:04Z2023-02-14T13:43:04ZWhen two elephants fight: how the global south uses non-alignment to avoid great power rivalries<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509129/original/file-20230209-24-gfvsje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Indonesian military honour guard marks the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung in 2015. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Achmad Ibrahim /AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>An African proverb notes that “when two elephants fight, it is the grass underneath that suffers”.</p>
<p>Many states in the global south are, therefore, seeking to avoid getting caught in the middle of any future battles between the US and China. Instead, they are calling for a renewal of the concept of non-alignment. This was an approach employed in the 1950s by newly independent countries to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-non-aligned-movement-in-the-21st-century-66057">balance</a> between the two ideological power blocs of east and west during the era of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War">Cold War</a></p>
<p>The new non-alignment stance is based on a perceived need to maintain southern sovereignty, pursue socio-economic development, and benefit from powerful external partners without having to choose sides. It also comes from historical grievances during the era of slavery, colonialism and Cold War interventionism. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/washington-wants-to-address-anti-west-sentiment-in-africa-blinken-is-doing-his-bit-188407">Washington wants to address anti-west sentiment in Africa: Blinken is doing his bit</a>
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<p>These grievances include unilateral American military interventions in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/U-S-invasion-of-Grenada">Grenada</a> (1983), <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50837024">Panama</a> (1989) and <a href="https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/march-2013-us-invasion-iraq-10-years-later?language_content_entity=en">Iraq</a> (2003) as well as support by the US and France for autocracies in countries like Egypt, Morocco, Chad and Saudi Arabia, when it suits their interests. </p>
<p>Many southern governments are particularly irked by America’s Manichaean division of the world into “good” democracies and “bad” autocracies. More recently, countries in the global south have highlighted north-south trade disputes and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9168349/">western hoarding</a> of COVID-19 vaccines as reinforcing the unequal international system of <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2022-01-04/vaccine-apartheid-risks-rising-global-shortages-in-2022">“global apartheid”</a>. </p>
<p>A return of non-alignment was evident at the March 2022 UN General Assembly special session on Ukraine. Fifty-two governments from the global south did not support western sanctions against <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129492">Russia</a>. This, despite Russia’s clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, which southern states have historically condemned.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-essential-reads-on-russia-africa-relations-187568">Five essential reads on Russia-Africa relations</a>
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<p>A month later, 82 southern states <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1115782">refused to back</a> western efforts to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.</p>
<p>These included powerful southern states such as India, Indonesia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. </p>
<h2>The origins of non-alignment</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.southcentre.int/question/revisiting-the-1955-bandung-asian-african-conference-and-its-legacy/">1955</a>, a conference was held in the Indonesian city of Bandung to regain the sovereignty of Africa and Asia from western imperial rule. The summit also sought to foster global peace, promote economic and cultural cooperation, and end racial domination. Governments attending were urged to abstain from collective defence arrangements with great powers. </p>
<p>Six years later, in 1961, the 120-strong Non-Aligned Movement <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Non-Aligned-Movement">emerged</a>. Members were required to shun military alliances such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact, as well as bilateral security treaties with great powers.</p>
<p>Non-alignment advocated “positive” – not passive – neutrality. States were encouraged to contribute actively to strengthening and reforming institutions such as the UN and the World Bank. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/rethinking-how-we-look-at-africas-relationship-with-china-159747">Rethinking how we look at Africa's relationship with China</a>
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<p>India’s patrician prime minister, <a href="https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-jawaharlal-nehru/">Jawaharlal Nehru</a>, is widely regarded to have been the intellectual “<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/non-alignment-was-coined-by-nehru-in-1954/articleshow/2000656.cms">father of non-alignment</a>”. He regarded the concept as an insurance policy against world domination by either superpower bloc or China. He also advocated nuclear disarmament.</p>
<p>Indonesia’s military strongman, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Suharto">Suharto</a>, championed non-alignment through “<a href="https://asean.org/opening-statement-his-excellency-mr-soeharto-president-of-the-republic-of-indonesia/">regional resilience</a>”. South-east Asian states were urged to seek autonomy and prevent external powers from intervening in the region.</p>
<p>Egypt’s charismatic prophet of Arab unity, <a href="https://www.presidency.eg/en/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%88%D9%86/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1/">Gamal Abdel Nasser</a>, strongly backed the use of force in conducting wars of liberation <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/6/20/arab-unity-nassers-revolution">in Algeria and southern Africa</a>, buying arms and receiving aid from both east and west.
For his part, Ghana’s prophet of African unity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/kwame-nkrumah-why-every-now-and-then-his-legacy-is-questioned-120790">Kwame Nkrumah</a>, promoted the idea of <a href="https://www.internationalscholarsjournals.com/articles/kwame-nkrumah-and-the-proposed-african-common-government.pdf">an African High Command</a> as a common army to ward off external intervention and support Africa’s liberation.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/non-aligned-movement-nam/#:%7E:text=The%20Non%2DAligned%20Movement%20was,to%20remain%20independent%20or%20neutral">Non-Aligned Movement</a>, however, suffered from the problems of trying to maintain cohesion among a large, diverse group. Many countries were clearly aligned to one or other power bloc. </p>
<p>By the early 1980s, the group had switched its focus from east-west geo-politics to north–south geo-economics. The Non-Aligned Movement started advocating a “<a href="http://www.un-documents.net/s6r3201.htm">new international economic order</a>”. This envisaged technology and resources being transferred from the rich north to the global south in order to promote industrialisation. </p>
<p>The north, however, simply refused to support these efforts.</p>
<h2>Latin America and south-east Asia</h2>
<p>Most of the recent thinking and debates on non-alignment have occurred in Latin America and south-east Asia. </p>
<p>Most Latin American countries have refused to align with any major power. They have also ignored Washington’s warnings <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-and-europe-deteriorating-relations-with-latin-america-china-by-ana-palacio-2022-07">to avoid doing business with China</a>. Many have embraced Chinese infrastructure, 5G technology and digital connectivity. </p>
<p>Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many of the region’s states declined western requests to impose sanctions on Moscow. The return of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luiz-Inacio-Lula-da-Silva">Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva</a> as <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-big-challenges-for-lulas-presidency-of-brazil-197967">president</a> of Brazil – the largest and wealthiest country in the region – heralds the “second coming” (following his first presidency between 2003 and 2011) of a champion of global south solidarity.</p>
<p>For its part, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (<a href="https://asean.org/member-states/">ASEAN</a>) has shown that non-alignment has as much to do with geography as strategy. Singapore sanctioned Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Indonesia condemned the intervention but rejected sanctions. Myanmar backed the invasion while Laos and Vietnam <a href="http://www.taiheinstitute.org/UpLoadFile/files/2022/6/30/11206652fbb64821-c.pdf">refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression</a>.</p>
<p>Many ASEAN states have historically championed “declaratory non-alignment”. They have used the concept largely rhetorically while, in reality, practising a promiscuous “multi-alignment”. Singapore and the Philippines forged close military ties with the US; Myanmar with India; Vietnam with Russia, India, and the US; and Malaysia with Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. </p>
<p>This is also a region in which states simultaneously embrace and fear Chinese economic assistance and military cooperation. This, while seeking to avoid any external powers dominating the region or forming exclusionary military alliances.</p>
<p>Strong African voices are largely absent from these non-alignment debates, and are urgently needed. </p>
<h2>Pursuing non-alignment in Africa</h2>
<p>Africa is the world’s most insecure continent, <a href="https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/data">hosting 84%</a> of UN peacekeepers. This points to a need for a cohesive southern bloc that can produce a self-sustaining security system – <a href="https://www.accord.org.za/ajcr-issues/the-quest-for-pax-africana/">Pax Africana</a> – while promoting socio-economic development.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/peace-and-security-in-africa-how-china-can-help-address-weaknesses-156219">Peace and security in Africa: how China can help address weaknesses</a>
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<p>Uganda aims to champion this approach when it takes over the three-year rotating chair of the Non-Aligned Movement <a href="https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/uganda-to-chair-non-aligned-movement-in-2023-117191">in December 2023</a>. Strengthening the organisation into a more cohesive bloc, while fostering unity within the global south, is a major goal of its tenure.</p>
<p>Uganda has strong potential allies. For example, South Africa has championed “strategic non-alignment” in the Ukraine conflict, advocating a UN-negotiated solution, while <a href="http://www.taiheinstitute.org/UpLoadFile/files/2022/6/30/11206652fbb64821-c.pdf">refusing to sanction its BRICS ally, Russia</a>. It has also relentlessly courted its largest bilateral trading partner, China, whose <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-massive-belt-and-road-initiative">Belt and Road Initiative</a> and <a href="https://www.escr-net.org/sites/default/files/brics-ndb-factsheet-final-1.pdf">BRICS bank</a> are building infrastructure across the global south.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-and-russia-president-cyril-ramaphosas-foreign-policy-explained-198430">South Africa and Russia: President Cyril Ramaphosa's foreign policy explained</a>
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<p>Beijing is Africa’s largest trading partner at US$254 billion, and <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/27880/trade-between-china-and-africa/">builds a third of the continent’s infrastructure</a>.</p>
<p>If a new non-alignment is to be achieved in Africa, the foreign military bases of the US, France and China – and the Russian military presence – must, however, be dismantled.</p>
<p>At the same time the continent should continue to support the UN-led rules-based international order, condemning unilateral interventions in both Ukraine and Iraq. Pax Africana would best be served by:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>building local security capacity in close cooperation with the UN; </p></li>
<li><p>promoting effective regional integration; and </p></li>
<li><p>fencing off the continent from meddling external powers, while continuing to welcome trade and investment from both east and west.</p></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199418/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adekeye Adebajo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If a new non-alignment is to be achieved in Africa, the foreign military bases of the US, France, and China - and the Russian military presence - must be dismantled.Adekeye Adebajo, Professor and Senior research fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of PretoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1958742023-01-19T12:08:50Z2023-01-19T12:08:50ZHow Chinese companies are challenging national security decisions that could delay 5G network rollout<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502949/original/file-20230103-90208-uqlgqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C997%2C634&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">National security concerns could affect the cost and delay the rollout of 5G networks in some countries.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/male-engineer-uses-smartphone-connect-5g-2106316100">chalermphon_tiam / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>British prime minister Rishi Sunak recently declared that the “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-to-the-lord-mayors-banquet-28-november-2022">golden era</a>” of UK-China relations is over. The next day, the government removed <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-takes-major-steps-forward-to-secure-britains-energy-independence">China General Nuclear Power Group</a>, a Chinese state-owned company, from the construction of the UK’s Sizewell C nuclear power station.</p>
<p>Other countries have made similar moves in recent years. In 2020, for example, then-US president Donald Trump attempted to ban social media platform TikTok in the US. The move was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/07/944039053/u-s-judge-halts-trumps-tiktok-ban-the-2nd-court-to-fully-block-the-action">subsequently stopped by two US judges</a> following a lawsuit by TikTok, and eventually <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57413227">dropped by current president, Joe Biden</a>. </p>
<p>But such government decisions based on national security concerns could affect the future international growth of Chinese business. This is particularly important given that international investment and trade by China has increased in recent years, enabling it to emerge as a powerful challenger to the global economic order. </p>
<p>Indeed, Chinese companies and investors often refuse to take such national security changes lying down. With varying degrees of success, firms have mounted a range of <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a7e1d9cf-9d86-4a87-8e03-37a6a2327390">formal and informal challenges</a> in recent years. This includes lobbying, media campaigns and diplomatic assistance or support from business associations, but also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/business/huawei-us-court.html">contesting national security decisions</a> in <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/chinese-controlled-firm-loses-court-bid-to-pause-ottawas-divestment-order">domestic courts</a>.</p>
<p>A relatively new strategy for China, however, is to challenge national security decisions before international tribunals using a method called <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/investor-state-dispute-settlement-0">investor-state dispute settlement</a>. These tribunals are usually set up to handle specific disputes, with arbitrators appointed and paid for by one or both of the parties involved. The suits tend to claim that national security decisions have breached host countries’ obligations to Chinese investors under <a href="https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/4-502-2491?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true">bilateral investment treaties</a> (BITs). These treaties grant foreign investors certain standards of treatment and allow them to sue host states for alleged violations.</p>
<p>Most recently, Chinese tech giant Huawei made an <a href="https://investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-dispute-settlement/cases/1208/huawei-v-sweden">investment treaty claim against the Swedish government</a> over its exclusion from the rollout of the country’s 5G network. And <a href="https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/eilr/vol37/iss1/1/">my research shows</a> that Huawei’s legal challenge to Sweden’s ban might only be the tip of the iceberg since Huawei equipment is also <a href="https://www.channele2e.com/business/enterprise/huawei-banned-in-which-countries/">currently banned in other countries</a> that have signed BITs with China. In the UK, for example, the government has <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/huawei-to-be-removed-from-uk-5g-networks-by-2027">committed to exclude</a> Huawei’s technology from the country’s 5G public networks by the end of 2027. </p>
<p>The outcome of Huawei’s dispute with Sweden could affect public interest there and in other countries like the UK. If the tribunal finds in Sweden’s favour, preventing the use of Huawei equipment could <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jul/14/huawei-decision-may-delay-5g-rollout-by-three-years-and-cost-uk-7bn-">delay 5G rollout by years</a> and inflate <a href="https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/the-economic-impact-of-restricting-competition-in-5g-network-equipment/">prices for mobile phone users</a>.</p>
<p>It’s also worth noting a 2019 tribunal decision that ordered Pakistan to pay <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-mine-military-idUSKCN1U80GT">US$6 billion in compensation</a> to an injured foreign investor, mining company Tethyan Copper. If Huawei wins this or any other similar legal challenge, financial liabilities could be passed on to taxpayers.</p>
<h2>Defining ‘national security’</h2>
<p>Huawei’s challenge of Sweden’s national security decision shows how brewing tensions and increasing distrust between China and western countries is affecting international trade and business.</p>
<p>Indeed, when countries adopt an expansive concept of “national security” in domestic law, companies might see it as a pretext for protectionism or a tool of geopolitical rivalry. Certainly, there is no conclusive evidence that Huawei products, for example, are inherently unsafe versus similar products from other companies, or that Huawei poses a national security threat. </p>
<p>To complicate matters further, some early Chinese BITs – between <a href="https://investmentpolicy.unctad.org/international-investment-agreements/treaty-files/6042/download">China and Sweden</a>, and <a href="https://investmentpolicy.unctad.org/international-investment-agreements/treaty-files/793/download">China and the UK</a> for example – do not explicitly allow host states to prohibit foreign investment based on national security concerns. And so Huawei’s recent legal challenge should help determine: </p>
<ul>
<li>when and why a host country can stop a foreign investment based on national security concerns</li>
<li>and how international arbitral tribunals are likely to review national security decisions in the future.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Telecommunication tower with 5G cellular network antenna on city skyline background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502946/original/file-20230103-105030-49uzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A 5G cellular network antenna.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/telecommunication-tower-5g-cellular-network-antenna-1786888505">Suwin / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Challenging national security decisions</h2>
<p>But what could this case mean for 5G rollout? In this specific example, Huawei is likely to fight an uphill battle to persuade a tribunal that Sweden’s decision is inconsistent with the China-Sweden treaty, for three reasons. </p>
<p>First, any potential threat to the security of 5G networks constitutes a national security risk because it means a country’s communications could be brought down by espionage, sabotage or system failure. Second, 5G networks are so complex that it is virtually impossible to find and eliminate every significant vulnerability. This means attempts by Huawei to argue for screening and control of software, for example, may not defuse national security concerns. And third, tribunals usually defer to a host country’s national security decisions. </p>
<p>Of course, tribunal decisions can go the other way. For example, several tribunals found against the Argentinian government that the country’s <a href="https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/ita0184.pdf">financial crisis in the 2000s</a> was severe enough to qualify as a national security issue. But generally, these tribunals tend to decide that governments are best placed to make such judgements. </p>
<p>Huawei has not brought a case against the UK yet, but western countries generally should think about how to maintain and improve technology infrastructure – even if innovation comes from regions with which tensions are strained. Failure to do so could significantly impact consumer costs and access to cutting-edge technology.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195874/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ming Du does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Chinese tech giant Huawei is among companies adopting new strategies to challenge national security reviews.Ming Du, Professor in Chinese law, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950592022-11-22T19:25:09Z2022-11-22T19:25:09ZHow to make 5G less expensive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496522/original/file-20221121-21-et1p31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C5%2C3765%2C1238&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">5G can also be deployed in 'private' networks, but it is still very expensive. Solutions for both private and public networks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-vector/antenna-silhouettes-set-isolated-on-white-1822084934">Nosyrevy/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 5th generation of mobile communications, 5G has arrived and it has brought us mostly <a href="https://www.ookla.com/articles/5g-drives-french-digital-transformation-q1-2022">higher throughputs</a> and helped operators to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for <a href="https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/">mobile data traffic</a>. This first wave of 5G uses the so-called “non-standalone mode”, which means that it still depends on existing 4G networks for coverage and control, so some of the advanced features of 5G are not yet available.</p>
<p>Operators are already working on the roll out of the second wave of 5G, which will be able to operate in a standalone mode, independently of 4G. Only this standalone mode will be able to reduce the latency of the network (the delay between the user’s data request and the actual delivery of that data) and will thus be able to support applications like augmented reality, e-health, and cooperative cars.</p>
<p>Another advantage of standalone 5G is the possibility to deploy private 5G networks for specific use cases, such as industrial automation, where robots and vehicles need to be controlled in real-time. This time-sensitive communication requires high speed and reliability that today’s 4G and wifi networks, despite being state of the art, are not able to deliver.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.lightreading.com/open-ran/heres-how-much-5g-wireless-network-really-costs/d/d-id/769114">today’s 5G equipment is much more expensive than its 4G counterpart</a>, especially the part called “radio access network” (RAN), which serves to communicate between terminals using radio waves. Building private 5G deployments is thus very pricey. Moreover, today there are only a handful of manufacturers of RAN equipment and their products are, as is traditional in the industry, proprietary and closed, making it hard to adapt them to specific requirements of private 5G networks.</p>
<h2>Opening up Radio Access Network equipment</h2>
<p>One promising solution to these problems is the “open RAN architecture”. This breaks down the traditional components of a RAN into a few smaller components, with openly defined interfaces between them (see Figure 1). This “split architecture” allows more flexible deployments that can be adapted to different use cases, such as low latency or high throughput. </p>
<p>Further, the open RAN design introduces the so-called RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), which can be used to control and optimize the RAN in an intelligent, agile, and programmable way. This can be used for example to optimize the quality of service or quality of experience for different user groups with different requirements (such as video streaming or gaming), optimize coverage and network throughput by traffic steering or coverage optimization. In doing so, the <a href="https://www.rcrwireless.com/20211104/open_ran/what-is-a-ran-intelligent-controller-ric">intelligent controller can also exploit feedback from the RAN</a> and use methods from machine learning and artificial intelligence for optimization.</p>
<p>In an open RAN design, interfaces between the different elements as well as real-time control and management and operation are openly defined by standardization bodies such as the <a href="http://www.o-ran.org">O-RAN Alliance</a> or the 3rd generation partnership project <a href="http://www.3gpp.org">3GPP</a>. This makes is possible to mix and match components from potentially different vendors, thus increasing competition and reducing costs. It also reduces the dependency of a customer on a vendor for products, so he can easily switch to another, potentially cheaper, vendor.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1085&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1085&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1085&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1363&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496756/original/file-20221122-24-mlanyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1363&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 1: Open RAN architecture with open radio unit (O-RU), open distributed unit (O-DU), open centralized unit (O-CU) and the RAN intelligent controller (RIC). The O-CU can serve multiple O-DUs in a region and typically is deployed in a local data center or a central office. The O-DU can serve multiple O-RUs and can be deployed in a street cabinet, a building or on a floor of a multi-story building. Each of the O-RUs must be collocated to an antenna, which serves a specific geographic area.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Elsa Couderc, Florian Kaltenberger</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Increased use of open-source software</h2>
<p>Another key advantage of the open RAN architecture is that all the elements – except for the radio unit – can be implemented as “virtual network functions” – that is, software – that can potentially run on general-purpose computing and networking environments, or even on the cloud. Such deployments are thus sometime called “virtualized RAN” or “cloud RAN”. This makes it possible to deploy such networks on existing IT infrastructure of factories, business parks or hospitals, which is another important cost-reducing factor.</p>
<p>Since virtual network functions are basically software, the next natural step to bring down costs is to use open-source software for these functions. Open source has already penetrated much of mobile radio networks. Indeed, the majority of smartphones today use Android as an operating system, which is based on open-source Linux. There is also a plethora of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389128620311786">open-source software available</a> to run and manage cloud and telecom environments.</p>
<p>On the side of the RAN, the <a href="https://www.openairinterface.org">OpenAirInterface (OAI) project</a> is worth mentioning as it is the most complete implementation of 5G networks today and lets you run a complete network on general purpose computing and radio infrastructure. Initially created for academic and research purposes, it is currently gaining significant traction and is finding its way into some products. However, there is still some work to make it compatible to O-RAN specifications and to improve the stability to make it ready for real deployments.</p>
<p>Open source is also a very good method to increase security and trust into mobile networks. Most open-source projects are managed by independent non-profit organizations, which continuously test and analyze the code for functionality, performance and security, so it is hard to introduce potential security threats and backdoors.</p>
<p>Last, but not least, open source software makes it easier for new players and startups to enter the 5G market, as they do not have to develop their products from scratch and benefit from other developments in the community. More startups also means more innovation and competition and thus will ultimately bring down the costs of private 5G even more. Think of how the Android operating system, which is also open source, resulted in the creation a wide range of new and cheaper mobile devices.</p>
<p>Open RAN products are still in their infancy and not yet ready for large-scale commercial deployments, but there are however promising field trials happening in different parts of the world. For example, the French operator Orange is has deployed an <a href="https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/comment-orange-se-prepare-a-la-revolution-open-ran-des-reseaux-mobiles.N1795202">experimental open RAN network</a> in Lannion and Chatillon. Moreover, different studies <a href="https://go.abiresearch.com/lp-open-ran-market-reality-and-misconceptions">suggest that the open RAN market will outgrow the traditional RAN market for private 5G networks</a> as early as 2024 and for public networks around 2030.</p>
<p>In conclusion, open RAN and open source are a perfect combination to bring down costs of 5G networks while at the same time providing contributing to build sovereign networks that are independent of a particular vendor.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Florian Kaltenberger is principal investigator in the 5G-OPERA project which is funded by the French government in the framework of France 2030. He is also a strategic advisor for the startup firecell.io.</span></em></p>The deployment of 5G networks depends on the compatibility of the instruments and protocols of a handful of industry players.Florian Kaltenberger, Associate professor en communications sans fils, EURECOM, Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1868852022-08-22T12:26:00Z2022-08-22T12:26:00ZCell towers have come to symbolize our deep collective anxieties<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479964/original/file-20220818-22-29q3j2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C5742%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most of us would rather not think about the fact that we're immersed in an electromagnetic soup of radio waves.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cellphone-base-station-towers-over-factory-roofs-royalty-free-image/1266611529?adppopup=true">RapidEye/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The new movie “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15325794/">Fall</a>” is a survival-thriller about two young women, Becky and Hunter, who are avid rock climbers. To mark the one-year anniversary of Becky’s husband’s death in a climbing accident, they decide to climb an abandoned 2,000-foot TV tower.</p>
<p>But a ladder breaks, and they find themselves stranded atop the rusty steel latticework. Ironically, at the top of the communication tower, the climbers are too high in the air to get a phone signal to call for rescue.</p>
<p>Other recent movies have also featured terrifying communication towers. </p>
<p>Take the 2016 film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775440/">Cell</a>,” which is based on a Stephen King novel. In it, a cell tower signal turns normal people into zombies, a literal version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone_zombie">the cliché</a> about the effect mobile phones have on users. The 2018 Indian sci-fi blockbuster “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5080556/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">2.0</a>” features a gigantic Kaiju monster – akin to Godzilla or Mothra – made of cellphones. It rises to avenge the deaths of millions of birds supposedly killed by cell tower radiation. (Millions of <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/no-5g-radio-waves-do-not-kill-birds">birds do die</a> every year by crashing into towers, but probably because they become disoriented by their lights, not from the radiation they emit.)</p>
<p>Why are communication towers so scary? Why, in “Fall,” is the steel tower somehow more disturbing than the rocky cliff face where Becky’s husband died?</p>
<p>I think it’s about more than fear of heights. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Zj3a1f4AAAAJ&hl=en">As a scholar who studies attitudes toward technology</a> – and who wrote <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Against-Technology-From-the-Luddites-to-Neo-Luddism/Jones/p/book/9780415978682">a book on the Luddites</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/cell-tower-9781501348815/">another one on cell towers</a> – I see cell towers, like the radio and TV towers that preceded them, as the focus of deep collective anxieties.</p>
<h2>Channeling invisible forces</h2>
<p>As anthropologist <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/code-and-clay-data-and-dirt">Shannon Mattern has argued</a>, towers and antennas are visible manifestations of vast invisible networks – mostly wireless or underground – that can be hard for people to wrap their heads around, even as they grow increasingly dependent on them. </p>
<p>They’re a reminder of something that most of us would rather forget: that we’re immersed in an electromagnetic soup of radio waves, walking around every day in what design scholar Anthony Dunne <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hertzian-tales">has called</a> “hertzian space.” Those same invisible waves also signal the possibility of ubiquitous surveillance and manipulation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Christian cross perched atop communication technology." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479969/original/file-20220818-15665-4u0d8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A cross tower doubles as a telecommunications node at Green Hills Baptist Church in La Habra, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-cross-tower-at-green-hills-baptist-church-now-holds-news-photo/564008531?adppopup=true">Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So a latticework steel tower or a sleek <a href="https://pedroc.co.uk/content/vodafone-o2-monopoles">monopole mast</a> with an array of rectangular antenna panels clustered at its top can elicit powerful responses. </p>
<p>On the one hand, there’s denial – you might half-consciously “unsee” them and pretend they’re not there. </p>
<p>On the other hand, they can become a source of paranoia, which sometimes metastasizes into conspiracy theories. </p>
<h2>Hidden in plain sight</h2>
<p>Cell towers are often designed to hide in plain sight. Some are even <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/4/19/8445213/cell-phone-towers-trees">disguised as pine trees or palm trees</a> – rather poorly, in most cases. But stealth towers like these aren’t actually meant to pass for the natural objects they imitate. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cell phone tower 'disguised' with palm fronds." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479965/original/file-20220818-349-dj7ai0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cell tower ‘camouflage’ is meant to elicit benign disregard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cell-phone-tower-on-the-north-shore-of-the-salton-sea-is-news-photo/1397549380?adppopup=true">George Rose/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like all camouflage, they’re just supposed to distract our attention long enough for us to overlook them. The brown painted “bark” and green plastic “leaves,” or the rows of rectangular antenna panels painted to blend into building façades, are simply prompts to our unseeing – cues to look away. Nothing to see here, they say. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the towers <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/185854/monthly-number-of-cell-sites-in-the-united-states-since-june-1986/">quietly multiply</a>.</p>
<p>In recent years, 5G antennas have started showing up everywhere, often as unlabeled boxes or cylinders on standalone poles or streetlights.</p>
<p>Known as small-cell networks, these faster and more powerful 5G systems require many more antennas spaced closer together. This greater density has provoked <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/great-5g-conspiracy/611317/">increased fears</a> about potential risks to health and security, along with more paranoid reactions linking cellular radiation to cancer – a link <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/science/5g-cellphones-wireless-cancer.html">not supported by scientific research</a>. Some people even <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/04/coronavirus-covid19-5g-conspiracy-theory.html">wrongly blamed 5G for the COVID-19 pandemic</a>.</p>
<p>As a result of such conspiracy theories, 2020 saw a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/05/18/deep-conspiracy-roots-europe-wave-cell-tower-fires-264997">rash of cell tower arson</a> reminiscent of the Luddites – textile workers in 19th-century England who <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/">sabotaged new mechanical looms that were putting them out of work</a>. Two hundred years later, the name Luddite has become synonymous with any reaction against new technology. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Caution tape wrapped around burned out metal boxes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479967/original/file-20220818-459-zz89e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The base of a 5G phone mast damaged by arsonists in May 2020 in Liverpool, England.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fire-and-explosion-damage-can-be-seen-on-an-ee-network-5g-news-photo/1227576029?adppopup=true">Christopher Furlong/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of the extreme reactions against cell towers may be the result of displaced anxiety about the very real risks of everyday technology. </p>
<p>Most of us sense – though we often prefer to forget – that each steel cell tower or sleek 5G box is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s a visible sign of mostly invisible global communication networks, tied to centers of commercial and political power, that are gradually eroding our privacy and autonomy. </p>
<p>No wonder they’re so terrifying.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hiding in plain sight, they’re subtle reminders that we’re being watched, tracked, studied.Steven Jones, Professor of English and Digital Humanities (Ret.), University of South FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1882422022-08-04T15:00:00Z2022-08-04T15:00:00ZTaiwan dominates the world’s supply of computer chips – no wonder the US is worried<p>One aspect of Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan that has been largely overlooked is <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/08/03/nancy-pelosi-taiwan-tsmc-mark-liu-china-market/">her meeting</a> with Mark Lui, chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC). Pelosi’s trip coincided with US efforts to convince TSMC – the world’s largest chip manufacturer, on which the US is heavily dependent – to establish a manufacturing base in the US and to stop making advanced chips for Chinese companies.</p>
<p>US support for Taiwan has historically been based on Washington’s opposition to communist rule in Beijing, and Taiwan’s resistance to absorption by China. But in recent years, Taiwan’s autonomy has become a vital geopolitical interest for the US because of the <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/26/trendforce_foundry_capacity/#:%7E:text=Taiwan%20dominates%20the%20world's%20semiconductor,to%20market%20intelligence%20firm%20TrendForce.">island’s dominance</a> of the semiconductor manufacturing market.</p>
<p>Semiconductors – also known as computer chips or just chips – are integral to all the networked devices that have become embedded into our lives. They also have advanced military applications. </p>
<p>Transformational, super-fast 5G internet is enabling a world of connected devices of every kind (the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/internet-of-things-1724">Internet of Things</a>”) and a new generation of networked weapons. With this in mind, US officials began to realise during the Trump administration that US semiconductor design companies, such as Intel, were heavily dependent on Asian-based supply chains for the manufacturing of their products.</p>
<p>In particular, Taiwan’s position in the world of semiconductor manufacturing is a bit like Saudi Arabia’s status in OPEC. TSMC has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/100-day-supply-chain-review-report.pdf">a 53% market share</a> of the global foundry market (factories contracted to make chips designed in other countries). Other Taiwan-based manufacturers claim a further 10% of the market. </p>
<p>As a result, the Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/100-day-supply-chain-review-report.pdf">100-Day Supply Chain Review Report</a> says, “The United States is heavily dependent on a single company – TSMC – for producing its leading-edge chips.” The fact that only TSMC and Samsung (South Korea) can make the most advanced semiconductors (five nanometres in size) “puts at risk the ability to supply current and future [US] national security and critical infrastructure needs” .</p>
<p>This means that China’s long-term goal of reunifying with Taiwan is now more threatening to US interests. In the 1971 Shanghai Communique and the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the US recognised that people in both mainland China and Taiwan believed that there was “One China” and that they both belonged to it. But for the US it is unthinkable that TSMC could one day be in territory controlled by Beijing.</p>
<h2>‘Tech war’</h2>
<p>For this reason, the US has been trying to attract TSMC to the US to increase domestic chip production capacity. In 2021, with the support of the Biden administration, the company bought a site in Arizona on which to build a US foundry. This is scheduled to be completed in 2024.</p>
<p>The US Congress has just passed the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-08-01/chips-and-science-act-could-become-a-280-billion-boondoggle">Chips and Science Act</a>, which provides US$52 billion (£43 billion) in subsidies to support semiconductor manufacturing in the US. But companies will only receive Chips Act funding if they agree not to manufacture advanced semiconductors for Chinese companies. </p>
<p>This means that TSMC and others may well have to choose between doing business in China and in the US because the cost of manufacturing in the US is deemed to be too high without government subsidies.</p>
<p>This is all part of a broader “tech war” between the US and China, in which the US is aiming to constrain China’s technological development and prevent it from exercising a global tech leadership role. </p>
<p>In 2020, the Trump administration imposed <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/us-boosts-sanctions-for-china-tech-giant-huawei/a-54599763">crushing sanctions</a> on the Chinese tech giant Huawei that were designed to cut the company off from TSMC, on which it was reliant for the production of high-end semiconductors needed for its 5G infrastructure business. </p>
<p>Huawei was the world’s leading supplier of 5G network equipment but the <a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/huawei-and-its-siblings-the-chinese-tech-giants-national-security-and-foreign-policy-implications/index.html">US feared</a> its Chinese origins posed a security risk (though this claim has been <a href="https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/myths-and-realities-of-chinas-military-civil-fusion-strategy">questioned</a>). The sanctions are still in place because both Republicans and Democrats want to stop other countries from using Huawei’s 5G equipment. </p>
<p>The British government had initially decided to use Huawei equipment in certain parts of the UK’s 5G network. The Trump administration’s sanctions forced London to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-huawei-idUSKCN24E30P">reverse that decision</a>.</p>
<p>A key US goal appears to be ending its dependency on supply chains in China or Taiwan for “emerging and foundational technologies”, which includes advanced semiconductors needed for 5G systems, but may include other advanced tech in future.</p>
<p>Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan was about more than just Taiwan’s critical place in the “tech war”. But the dominance of its most important company has given the island a new and critical geopolitical importance that is likely to heighten existing tensions between the US and China over the status of the island. It has also intensified US efforts to “reshore” its semiconductor supply chain.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188242/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maria Ryan receives funding from the British Academy.</span></em></p>Taiwan dominates the global market for microchips – something that Washington is well aware of.Maria Ryan, Associate Professor in US History, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1767812022-02-22T13:42:53Z2022-02-22T13:42:53ZWhat is 3G and why is it being shut down? An electrical engineer explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447377/original/file-20220218-19-1gyfpm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5887%2C3904&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The sun is setting on 3G networks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frted/50211584991/">Ted/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On Feb. 22, 2022, AT&T <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g-cellular-networks-and-service">is scheduled to turn off</a> its 3G cellular network. T-Mobile is scheduled to turn its off on July 1, 2022, and Verizon is slated to follow suit on Dec. 31, 2022.</p>
<p>The vast majority of cellphones in service operate on 4G/LTE networks, and the world has begun the transition to 5G, but <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-11-05/column-5g-wireless-transition">as many as 10 million phones</a> in the U.S. still rely on 3G service. In addition, the cellular network functions of <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22912235/3g-shutting-down-att-verizon-tmobile">some older devices</a> like Kindles, iPads and Chromebooks are tied to 3G networks. Similarly, some older internet-connected systems like home security, car navigation and entertainment systems, and solar panel modems are 3G-specific. Consumers will need to <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22912235/3g-shutting-down-att-verizon-tmobile">upgrade or replace</a> these systems.</p>
<p>So why are the telecommunications carriers turning off their 3G networks? As an electrical engineer who <a href="http://www.ece.tufts.edu/%7Emaivu/">studies wireless communications</a>, I can explain. The answer begins with the difference between 3G and later technologies such as 4G/LTE and 5G.</p>
<p>Picture a family trip. Your spouse is on the phone arranging activities to do at the destination, your teenage daughter is streaming music and chatting with her friends on her phone, and her younger sibling is playing an online game with his friends. All those separate conversations and data streams are communicated over the cellular network, seemingly simultaneously. You probably take this for granted, but have you ever wondered how the cellular system can handle all those activities at the same time, from the same car?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three children in the backseat of a car use tablet devices" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447385/original/file-20220219-7720-1sa1ix3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How does it work when everyone in your car is using cellular voice and data service at the same time, and so are many of the people in the cars around you?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/siblings-using-digital-tablet-in-back-seat-of-car-royalty-free-image/1297084394">The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Communicating all those messages</h2>
<p>The answer is a technological trick called <a href="https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/communications/article/21802209/electronic-design-fundamentals-of-communications-access-technologies-fdma-tdma-cdma-ofdma-and-sdma#%E2%80%9DOFDMA%E2%80%9D">multiple access</a>. Imagine using a sheet of paper to write messages to 100 different friends, one private message for each person. The multiple access technology used in 3G networks is like writing every message to each of your friends using the whole sheet of paper, so all the messages are written on top of each other. But you have a special set of pens with different colors that allows you to write each message in a unique color, and each of your friends has a special pair of glasses that reveals only the color intended for that person.</p>
<p>However, the number of colored pens is fixed, so if you want to send messages to more people than the number of colored pens you have, you will need to start mixing colors. Now when a friend applies their special lenses, they will see a little bit of the messages to other friends. They won’t see enough to read the other messages, but the overlap might be enough to blur the message intended for them, making it harder to read.</p>
<p>The multiple access technology used by 3G networks is called Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA. It was invented by Qualcomm founder <a href="https://www.invent.org/inductees/irwin-mark-jacobs#:%7E:text=NIHF%20Inductee%20Irwin%20Mark%20Jacobs%20Invented%20CDMA%20Technology">Irwin M. Jacobs</a> with several other prominent electrical engineers. The technique is based on the concept of spread spectrum, an idea that can be <a href="https://www.americanscientist.org/article/random-paths-to-frequency-hopping">traced back to the early 20th century</a>. Jacobs’ <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/289411?casa_token=F0fopuxled0AAAAA:fRxNKBHn6n4t6jdDbfwCFJ26gXM_DxKH8QMzJMdWUwgh4_oGcEFf9Y6MgqSqmzU9Rxn_Eyzc9A">1991 paper</a> showed that CDMA can increase the cellular capacity manyfold over systems at the time.</p>
<p>CDMA lets all cellular users send and receive their signals at all times and over all frequencies. So if 100 users wish to initiate a call or use a cell service at around the same time, their 100 signals will overlap with each other over the entire cellular spectrum for the whole time they communicate.</p>
<p>The overlapping signals create interference. CDMA solves the interference problem by letting each user have a unique signature: a code sequence that can be used to recover each user’s signal. The code corresponds to the color in our paper analogy. If there are too many users on the system at the same time, the codes can overlap. This leads to interference, which gets worse as the number of users increases.</p>
<h2>Slices of time and spectrum</h2>
<p>Instead of allowing users to share the entire cellular spectrum at all times, other multiple access techniques divide access by time or frequency. Division over time creates time slots. Each connection can last over multiple time slots spread out in time, but each time slot is so short – a matter of milliseconds – that the cellphone user doesn’t perceive the interruptions from alternating time slots. The connection appears to be continuous. This time slicing technique is time-division multiple access (TDMA).</p>
<p>The division can also be done in frequency. Each connection is given its own frequency band within the cellular spectrum, and the connection is continuous for its duration. This frequency slicing technique is frequency division multiple access (FDMA).</p>
<p>In our paper analogy, FDMA and TDMA are like dividing the paper into 100 strips in either dimension and writing each private message on one strip. FDMA would be, for example, horizontal strips, and TDMA would be vertical strips. With individual strips, all messages are separated.</p>
<p>4G/LTE and 5G networks use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), a highly efficient combination of FDMA and TDMA. In the paper analogy, OFDMA is like drawing strips along both dimensions, dividing the whole paper into many squares, and assigning each user a different set of squares according to their data need.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a graph in four parts, two showing stripes, one showing layers and another showing squares" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447363/original/file-20220218-49929-6p63vs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Different techniques for sharing access to wireless network resources.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/21/3/273/htm">Entropy 2019, 21(3), 273</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>End of the line for 3G</h2>
<p>Now you have a basic understanding of the difference between 3G and the later 4G/LTE and 5G. You might still reasonably ask why 3G needs to be shut down. It turns out that because of those differences in the access technology, the two networks are built using completely different equipment and algorithms. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>3G handsets and base stations operate on a wideband system, meaning they use the whole cellular spectrum. 4G/LTE and 5G operate on narrowband or multi-carrier systems, which use slices of the spectrum. These two systems need completely different sets of hardware, from the antenna on the cell tower down to the components in your phone. </p>
<p>So if your phone is a 3G phone, it cannot connect to a 4G/LTE or 5G tower. For a long while, the cellular service providers have been keeping their 3G networks going while building a completely separate network with new tower equipment and servicing new handsets using 4G/LTE and 5G. Imagine bearing the cost of operating two separate networks at the same time for the same purpose. Eventually, one has to go. And now, as the carriers are starting to deploy 5G systems in earnest, that time has come for 3G.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176781/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mai Vu receives funding from National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>As the wireless telecommunications companies ramp up their 5G rollouts, they are beginning to pull the plug on their 3G networks. 2022 is the end of the line for the venerable cellphone service.Mai Vu, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1752152022-01-25T16:02:23Z2022-01-25T16:02:23ZCould 5G really ground planes? Why the US has delayed rolling out the mobile internet technology around airports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442003/original/file-20220121-15-15nrib1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C4%2C2991%2C1989&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hoersching-austria-17-march-2021-airbus-1938324136">Simlinger/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Several international airlines recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/19/airlines-cancel-some-us-flights-over-5g-concerns">cancelled flights</a> into certain US airports over concerns the rollout of 5G mobile communication technology could interfere with some planes’ equipment. </p>
<p>After warnings about the potential problem from aviation bosses and the Federal Aviation Administration, telecommunications companies AT&T and Verizon <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ba-grounds-flights-to-us-over-5g-fears-7k2fhwgh2">delayed activating</a> some 5G masts around US airports.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1483520093690728453"}"></div></p>
<p>But how could 5G interfere with planes? And can the problem be fixed? Let’s take a look.</p>
<p>Currently being deployed in several countries around the world, 5G is the fifth generation of mobile phone technology. It could offer network speeds up to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/03/business/what-is-5g/">100 times faster</a> than what we’ve experienced with 4G.</p>
<p>To ensure high speeds with the widest possible coverage, AT&T and Verizon had planned to generate 5G internet using something called <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/aviation/explained-c-band-5g-frequency-and-how-it-can-affect-aircraft-altimeters-12186632.htm">C-band frequencies</a>, a type of radio frequencies (or radio waves) between 3.7 and 3.98 gigahertz (GHz).</p>
<p>These frequencies are adjacent to those used by modern aircraft to measure altitude. An important piece of an aircraft’s equipment, called a <a href="https://skybrary.aero/articles/radio-altimeter">radio altimeter</a>, operates on C-band frequencies between 4.2-4.4GHz. Pilots rely on radio altimeters to land the plane safely, particularly when visibility is poor, for example, when the airport is surrounded by high mountains or when conditions are foggy.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-5g-conspiracy-theories-prosper-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-136019">Why 5G conspiracy theories prosper during the coronavirus pandemic</a>
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<p>The concern is that, due to the narrow gap between the frequencies of the 5G and the radio altimeters, the radio waves from 5G towers near airports could cause interference. That is, people using 5G on their phones could inadvertently distort or damage the radio altimeter’s signal. </p>
<p>If this happens, even for a few seconds, it could mean the pilot doesn’t receive the correct information during landing. It is for this reason that the US Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person using their mobile phone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442501/original/file-20220125-23-l1oy44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Countries around the world have started to roll out 5G technology.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-waiting-on-station-platform-background-735607483">Maria Savenko/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>So what can be done?</h2>
<p>Other countries rolling out 5G are using C-band frequencies that overlap with or are close to those of radio altimeters, without <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/5g-aircraft-safety-row-us-airlines-flights-uk-europe-asia-1412971">any reported problems</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2304975-will-5g-mobile-networks-in-the-us-really-interfere-with-aircraft/">in the UK</a>, 5G goes up to 4GHz. Having no or few mountains around airports reduces the risk.</p>
<p>Some other countries operate their 5G on a frequency slightly further away from that of the aircraft equipment. In <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2304975-will-5g-mobile-networks-in-the-us-really-interfere-with-aircraft/">the European Union</a>, for example, 5G goes up to 3.8GHz. This could be a good option for US airports.</p>
<p>The best option, in the long run, would be to use a much higher band for 5G, such as 24GHz to 47GHz. At these frequencies, data speeds are significantly higher, although the coverage area of each cell will be much less (so you would need more towers).</p>
<p>There’s also an option to reduce the signal strength from the towers around airports, which has reportedly been done <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2304975-will-5g-mobile-networks-in-the-us-really-interfere-with-aircraft/">in France and Canada</a>. This is not about changing the frequency –signal strength is measured in decibels, not GHz – but limiting the signal power can reduce the likelihood of interference with neighbouring bands.</p>
<p>Another potential solution would be to adjust the frequency range of radio altimeters. But this would take a long time and probably be resource intensive for the aviation industry.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nikola-tesla-5g-network-could-realise-his-dream-of-wireless-electricity-a-century-after-experiments-failed-158665">Nikola Tesla: 5G network could realise his dream of wireless electricity, a century after experiments failed</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While the risk of an in-flight complication due to 5G interference may be very low, as we’re talking about human safety, we need to take any possible risks very seriously. The move to delay rolling out 5G masts near US airports is a good option while the relevant authorities determine the safest way forward.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175215/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sufian Yousef does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The radio frequency at which 5G operates in the US is close to that of an important piece of aircraft equipment, called radio altimeters.Sufian Yousef, Associate Professor, Director of the Telecommunications Engineering Research Group, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1753062022-01-25T13:28:14Z2022-01-25T13:28:14ZHow 5G puts airplanes at risk – an electrical engineer explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442368/original/file-20220124-13-p8az99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1563%2C875&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The FAA raised concerns that new, full-speed 5G cellphone services near airports could interfere with aircraft operations.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/44073224@N04/28345407183/">Bernal Saborio/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New high-speed cellphone services have raised concerns of interference with aircraft operations, particularly as aircraft are landing at airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has <a href="https://www.faa.gov/5g">assured Americans that most commercial aircraft are safe</a>, and AT&T and Verizon have agreed to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/01/18/1073859389/verizon-att-5g-rollout-delay-airports-airlines-faa">hold off on installing their new cellphone antennas</a> near airports for six months. But the problem has not been entirely resolved.</p>
<p>Concerns began when the U.S. government <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-370267A1.pdf">auctioned</a> part of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/tech/c-band-5g-att-verizon-rollout/index.html">C-band spectrum</a> to wireless carriers in 2021 for US$81 billion. The carriers are using C-band spectrum to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-5g-an-electrical-engineer-explains-173196">provide 5G</a> service at full speed, 10 times the speed of 4G networks.</p>
<p>The C-band spectrum is close to the frequencies used by key electronics that aircraft rely on to land safely. Here’s why that can be a problem.</p>
<h2>Keeping order on the spectrum</h2>
<p>Wireless signals are carried by radio waves. The radio spectrum ranges from 3 hertz to 3,000 gigahertz and is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The portion of the radio spectrum that carries the signals from your phone and other wireless devices is <a href="https://www.ctia.org/news/what-is-spectrum-a-brief-explainer">20 kilohertz to 300 gigahertz</a>.</p>
<p>If two wireless signals in the same area use the same frequency, you get garbled noise. You hear this when you are midway between two radio stations using the same or similar frequency bands to send their information. The signals get garbled and sometimes you hear one station, at other times the other, all mixed with a healthy dose of noise. </p>
<p>Therefore, in the U.S., the use of these frequency bands is tightly regulated by the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that radio stations, wireless carriers and other organizations are assigned “lanes,” or frequency spectra, to use in an orderly fashion.</p>
<h2>Bouncing radio waves off the ground</h2>
<p>Modern airplanes use altimeters, which calculate the time it takes for a signal to bounce back from the ground to determine a plane’s altitude. These altimeters are a vital part of automatic landing systems that are especially useful in cases where there is low visibility. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand on an aircraft yoke in front of a multicolor display panel" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442379/original/file-20220124-23335-w6fct0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radio altimeter in an aircraft tells the pilot how far off the ground the aircraft is.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/AustraliaMalaysiaPlane/6fb7b6c1d681451e988f5f9efad4205b/photo">AP Photo/Rob Griffith</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So, if an altimeter interprets a signal from a wireless carrier as the rebounded signal from the ground, it may think that the ground is closer than it is and prematurely try to lower the landing gear and do the other maneuvers that are needed to land an aircraft. If interference with wireless carrier signals corrupts and garbles the altimeter’s radio signals, the altimeter may not recognize the rebounded signal and thus be unable to figure out how close to the ground the plane is.</p>
<p>[<em>Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-understand">Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>The portions of the radio frequency spectrum used by airplanes and cellphone carriers are different. The problem is that airplane altimeters use the 4.2 to 4.4 gigahertz range, while the recently sold – and previously unused – C-band spectrum for wireless carriers ranges from 3.7 to 3.98 gigahertz. It turns out the 0.22 gigahertz difference between the signals may not be quite enough to be absolutely sure that a cellphone carrier signal will not be mistaken for or corrupt an altimeter’s signal.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Four vertical rectangular devices mounted on the corner of a roof of a building with a church spire in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442380/original/file-20220124-27-n2x6kx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Full-speed 5G signals like those in services that wireless carriers are currently rolling out might interfere with aircraft altimeters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreak5GConspiracyTheories/71c36ff2fca14b4baf1ee83fda44af00/photo">AP Photo/Alastair Grant</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Steering clear of trouble – for now</h2>
<p>The telecommunication industry has argued that the gap of 0.22 gigahertz is enough and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-are-airlines-worried-about-5g-f908b6eff8551b580dfd111029c5be2d">there will be no interference</a>. The airline industry has been <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/01/07/1071409710/airlines-are-concerned-5g-wireless-service-may-affect-the-ability-to-land-planes">more cautious</a>. Even if the risk is very small, I believe the consequences of a plane crash are enormous.</p>
<p>Who is correct? The chances of such interference are very small, but the truth is that there isn’t much data to say that such interference will never happen. Whether there will be interference depends on the receivers in the altimeters and their sensitivity. In my view, there is no way to ensure that such stray interfering signals will never reach altimeters. </p>
<p>If the altimeters can register the stray signals as noise and filter them out, then they can function correctly. Upgrading aircraft altimeters <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/22/tech/5g-airlines-crisis-what-happened/index.html">is a costly proposition</a>, however, and it’s not clear who would pay the cost.</p>
<p>The FAA has been testing altimeters and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/01/airline-ceos-make-u-turn-now-say-5g-isnt-a-big-problem-for-altimeters/">clearing ones that can be relied on</a> in the near future. AT&T and Verizon have agreed to not put up 5G transmitters and receivers near the 50 largest airports for six months while a solution is being worked out. This has averted a major crisis in the near term, but it isn’t a permanent solution. </p>
<p>Moreover, regional airlines and rural airports <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/business/faa-5g-airliner-approvals/index.html">remain at risk of interference</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175306/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prasenjit Mitra works with Remcom Inc. He does not receive any funding from them. </span></em></p>Airplanes use radio waves to determine how far off the ground they are. New 5G cellphone services come close to the same frequencies the airplanes use. Here’s how that can be a problem.Prasenjit Mitra, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731962022-01-10T13:37:30Z2022-01-10T13:37:30ZWhat is 5G? An electrical engineer explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439744/original/file-20220106-27-13yr1qc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4957%2C3381&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Telecommunications companies around the world are expanding their next-generation, or 5G, networks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/china-mobile-workers-maintain-a-communication-tower-stuck-news-photo/1315301495">Guo Shining/VCG via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>5G stands for fifth-generation cellular network technology. </p>
<p>It’s the technology that enables wireless communication – for example, from your cellular phone to a cell tower, which channels it to the internet. 5G is a network service provided by telecommunications carriers and is not the same thing as the 5 GHz band on your Wi-Fi router.</p>
<p>5G offers an order of magnitude – 10 times – more bandwidth than its predecessor, 4G. The greater bandwidth is possible because over and above low and medium frequency radio waves, 5G uses additional higher-frequency waves to encode and carry information. </p>
<p>Bandwidth is analogous to the width of a highway. The broader the highway, the more lanes it can have and the more cars it can carry at the same time. This makes 5G much faster and able to handle many more devices. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The top right corner of a smartphone screen showing signal bars, 5G indicator and battery indicator" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439745/original/file-20220106-25-1wc0vmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most newer smartphones work with 5G networks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/december-2021-berlin-the-5g-logo-can-be-seen-on-the-display-news-photo/1237122206">Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>5G can deliver speeds of around 50 megabits per second, up to more than 1 gigabit per second. A gigabit per second connection allows you to download a high-definition movie in less than a minute. Does this mean no more bad cell connections in crowded places? The increased bandwidth will help, but just as increasing the number of lanes on highways does not always reduce traffic jams, as <a href="https://www.thecgo.org/research/does-expanding-highway-capacity-solve-urban-congestion-problems/">more people use the expanded highways</a>, 5G is likely to carry a lot more traffic than 4G networks, so you still might not get a good connection sometimes. </p>
<p>In addition to connecting your phone and cellular-enabled laptop, 5G will be connecting many other devices ranging from photo frames to toasters as part of the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-internet-of-things/">Internet of Things</a> revolution. So even though 5G can handle up to a million devices per square kilometer, all that bandwidth could be quickly used up and require more – a future 5.5G with even more bandwidth.</p>
<h2>Flavors of 5G</h2>
<p>5G can use low-, mid- and high-band frequencies, each with advantages and disadvantages. Lower-frequency waves can travel farther but are slower. Using higher frequency waves means information can travel faster but these waves can only go limited distances. Higher-frequency 5G can achieve gigabit-per-second speeds, which promises to render ethernet and other wired connections obsolete in the future. Currently, however, the higher frequency comes at a higher cost and thus is deployed only where it’s most needed: in crowded urban settings, stadiums, convention centers, airports and concert halls.</p>
<p>A type of 5G service, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/MWC.2018.1700294">Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications</a>, can be used where data needs to be transmitted without loss or interruption in service – for example, controlling drones in disaster areas. One day, after the technology is more robust, it could even be used for remote surgery.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prasenjit Mitra receives funding from the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy.</span></em></p>5G is 10 times faster than 4G, promising better wireless internet access. It’s also expected to put the Internet of Things revolution in high gear.Prasenjit Mitra, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1681902021-10-25T19:12:03Z2021-10-25T19:12:03ZChina is accused of exporting authoritarian technology. But the west has done so, too, more covertly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428142/original/file-20211025-19717-bx6kc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=498%2C9%2C5902%2C4416&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ng Han Guan/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>China’s 5G technology has now been banned in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the US and many in the European Union. In 2019, a <a href="https://ccdcoe.org/library/publications/huawei-5g-and-china-as-a-security-threat/">NATO Cyber Defence Centre report</a> identified Huawei’s 5G technology as a security risk.</p>
<p>Since September, telecommunications providers in the US have been able to apply for compensation through a US$1.9 billion program designed to “<a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3150345/us-instructs-rural-carriers-how-apply-funding-remove-huawei-and-zte">rip and replace</a>” Huawei and ZTE equipment, due to perceived <a href="https://consumer.huawei.com/ph/community/details/US-FCC-votes-to-advance-proposed-ban-on-Huawei-ZTE-gear/topicId_133468/">risks to national security</a>.</p>
<p>But fears over China’s attempts to export its digital and surveillance technologies go far beyond just Huawei and 5G. China has been accused of exporting “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/china-is-exporting-its-digital-authoritarianism/2020/08/05/f14df896-d047-11ea-8c55-61e7fa5e82ab_story.html">digital authoritarianism</a>” and spreading “<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/08/chinas-techno-authoritarianism-has-gone-global">techno-authoritarianism globally</a>”. It’s been declared a danger to the rest of the world. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428150/original/file-20211025-15-pc3d9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A visitor has her face scanned by a face recognition system during a technology exhibition in Beijing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Song Fan/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/1908">my research</a>, I argue the story of digital authoritarianism is not that straightforward. </p>
<p>Technologies that help authoritarian leaders collect information and control their populations have been exported with few restrictions for decades. Although China does export ready-made surveillance systems to governments deemed as oppressive, countries in Europe and North America have also done so, albeit more covertly.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-surveillance-creep-how-big-data-covid-monitoring-could-be-used-to-control-people-post-pandemic-164788">China's 'surveillance creep': how big data COVID monitoring could be used to control people post-pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>China supports surveillance exports, regardless of the destination</h2>
<p>China falls in the direct line of fire for criticism on this front. </p>
<p>First, the country follows an authoritarian system. In a <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/15/c_137112987.htm">compilation of speeches</a> by President Xi Jinping from 2012-18, he critiqued western political systems and called for greater “<a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202107/09/WS60e6957ca310efa1bd66094e.html">South-South collaboration</a>” between China and countries in the developing world. </p>
<p>These views have since been incorporated as part of a new national ideology and China’s influential Belt and Road Initiative.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428137/original/file-20211024-19-opsokb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, walks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a 2018 China-Africa summit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lintao Zhang/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Second, both Chinese <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1146179.shtml">companies</a> and the Chinese <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/15/c_137112987.htm">government</a> have firmly maintained that countries are free to decide what they want to do with the technologies they purchase from China. They are neutral actors selling neutral technologies to other countries.</p>
<p>China is the largest exporter of <a href="https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_bis_e.htm">telecommunications equipment</a>, computers, and telephones in the world, with the <a href="https://oec.world/en/profile/country/chn?viztypeSelector=trendsType1">US as its biggest destination</a>. It has also exported digital infrastructure to more than <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/china-is-exporting-its-digital-authoritarianism/2020/08/05/f14df896-d047-11ea-8c55-61e7fa5e82ab_story.html">60 mostly developing countries</a> through its Belt and Road Initiative.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/keep-calm-but-dont-just-carry-on-how-to-deal-with-chinas-mass-surveillance-of-thousands-of-australians-146103">Keep calm, but don't just carry on: how to deal with China's mass surveillance of thousands of Australians</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Some of the most problematic exports of Chinese surveillance technologies include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://www.aspi.org.au/report/mapping-more-chinas-tech-giants">CloudWalk’s</a> facial recognition database in Zimbabwe, which opponents <a href="https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/03/01/creating-surveillance-state-ed-govt-zooms-critics-chinese-help/">say</a> may be used to monitor government critics</p></li>
<li><p>technicians from Huawei <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/huawei-technicians-helped-african-governments-spy-on-political-opponents-11565793017">engaging</a> in political espionage in Uganda and Zambia </p></li>
<li><p>the development of a controversial new “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/venezuela-zte/">fatherland card</a>” to monitor civilian activities in Venezuela</p></li>
<li><p>the sale of smart <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/technology/ecuador-surveillance-cameras-police-government.html">video surveillance technologies</a> to the previous authoritarian government of Ecuador.</p></li>
</ul>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"985953873922875393"}"></div></p>
<h2>The ‘tech neutrality’ cloak for western companies</h2>
<p>However, Chinese companies are not the only actors in the global trade arena that benefit from the argument of “technological neutrality”. </p>
<p>Companies from Europe and North America jumped at the first chance they got to sell surveillance systems to China in the early 2000s. Many of those technologies strengthened China’s online censorship system.</p>
<p>In a watershed report in 2001, an independent researcher, <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.696199/publication.html">Greg Walton</a>, showed that international companies started marketing their products to Chinese public security agencies as early as 2000 during a large security expo in Beijing. The same <a href="http://www.chinaexhibition.com/Official_Site/11-9828-CPSE_2019_-_The_17th_China_Public_Security_Expo.html">expo</a> continued to attract international companies until the COVID-19 travel disruptions in 2020.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.jamestgriffiths.com/">2006</a>, Cisco was investigated by a US House subcommittee for selling surveillance technologies to China. The company defended itself by stressing its right to international trade and technological neutrality. </p>
<p>A couple of years later, Cisco <a href="https://www.crn.com/news/networking/207801396/cisco-denies-aiding-chinese-web-censorship.htm">again defended its right</a> to sell to China in a meeting with the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights. A representative of the company <a href="https://www.forbes.com/2007/11/01/cisco-china-investments-markets-equity-cx_ml_1101markets17.html?sh=43e3cf8d4e74">argued</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>One thing tech companies cannot do, in my opinion, is involve themselves in politics of a country.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Earlier this year, investigative journalist Mara Hvistendahl also <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/05/25/oracle-social-media-surveillance-protests-endeca/">reported</a> that Oracle (the same company that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/technology/tiktok-microsoft-oracle-bytedance.html">won the bid</a> to co-host TikTok’s data in the US) had pitched its predictive policing analytics to public security agencies in China.</p>
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<p>And in 2019, the UK <a href="https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/resource/exporting-repression-how-britain-supplying-surveillance-technology-human-rights-abusing/">was found</a> to have exported telecommunications interception equipment to multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.</p>
<p>A political science researcher at the University of Cape Town, <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2021/09/09/dont-blame-china-for-rise-of-digital-authoritarianism-africa-surveillance-capitalism/">Mandira Bagwandeen</a>, argues it’s easy to point fingers to China, diverting attention from other countries.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Let’s face it, if the US was really serious about restricting the spread of so-called ‘authoritarian technology’, then it should also impose comprehensive measures and restrictions on both democratic and autocratic producers.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>We need better monitoring of the surveillance tech trade</h2>
<p>The fact is surveillance technologies with the capability to gather and analyse information about people are <a href="https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/1908/1107">inherently political</a>. </p>
<p>Princeton University Professor Xu Xu <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajps.12514">argues</a> that digital surveillance resolves the “information problem” in authoritarian countries by allowing dictators to more easily identify those with anti-regime beliefs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/police-access-to-covid-check-in-data-is-an-affront-to-our-privacy-we-need-stronger-and-more-consistent-rules-in-place-167360">Police access to COVID check-in data is an affront to our privacy. We need stronger and more consistent rules in place</a>
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</em>
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<p>But regulating new technologies is difficult even in democratic countries. Australia is seeing this play out with the unregulated use of <a href="https://theconversation.com/number-plate-recognition-the-technology-behind-the-rhetoric-17572">number plate recognition technologies</a> by the police to monitor lockdown compliance. </p>
<p>The police have also <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/contact-tracing-and-nothing-else-greens-bid-to-ban-police-from-qr-code-data-20211006-p58xmo.html">tried to use</a> COVID QR code check-in data numerous times as part of criminal investigations.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1415101596048846851"}"></div></p>
<p>Unlike other electronics goods, surveillance technologies have the capability to shape and restrict people’s lives, rights and freedoms. This is why it is important they are regulated. </p>
<p>While it may be difficult to enact a <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/bb167041-en/1/3/1/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/bb167041-en&_csp_=509e10cb8ea8559b6f9cc53015e8814d&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book#section-14">unified set of rules internationally</a> given the current tensions between China and the west, better monitoring and regulations at the domestic level could be the way forward.</p>
<p>One large initiative is a multi-year project run by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute to map the <a href="https://chinatechmap.aspi.org.au/#/homepage">international expansion of Chinese technology companies</a>. </p>
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<p>This is helping to monitor the activities of Chinese surveillance tech companies and providing data for government policy briefs. When iFlytek, a Chinese artificial intelligence technology company tied to surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, marketed its products in New Zealand, the <a href="https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2021/03/new-zealand-links-to-iflytek/">media relied on ASPI’s findings</a> to pressure a New Zealand company to cease its collaborations with the company. </p>
<p>And the European Parliament commissioned and published an extensive report on <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2021/662926/IPOL_STU(2021)662926_EN.pdf">artificial intelligence</a> in June 2021, which recommended establishing a security commission and new research centre devoted to AI issues. It remains to be seen whether the report has any teeth, but it is the kind of start we need.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168190/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ausma Bernot does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While it may be difficult to enact a global set of regulations on surveillance technologies, individual countries can take the lead with enhanced monitoring and stronger laws.Ausma Bernot, PhD Candidate, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1679302021-09-28T12:21:09Z2021-09-28T12:21:09ZHGV driver shortage: remote-controlled lorries could prevent future logistical nightmares<p>The current <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58552349">HGV driver shortage</a> is the latest chapter in the UK’s supply chain jitters, disrupting <a href="https://www.fwd.co.uk/wholesale-news/2021/06/14/hgv-driver-shortage-could-threaten-food-supply-fwd/">wholesale food delivery</a>, cancelling <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/south-london-councils-burn-recycling-waste-as-hgv-driver-shortage-disrupts-bin-collections-12404763">bin collections</a> and leading to the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-58709456">panic buying of fuel</a>. While there is a good chance the country <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/24/uk-cabinet-split-over-solution-to-lorry-driver-shortage">will overcome</a> this temporary problem, the driver shortage is calling into question the long-term viability of logistical transportation on the roads.</p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/hgv-driver-shortage-remote-controlled-lorries-could-prevent-future-logistical-nightmares-167930&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>One intuitive long-term solution to future HGV driver shortages is to take the driver out of the driver’s seat altogether. Self-driving car technology, which can also be applied to HGVs, <a href="https://theconversation.com/self-driving-cars-will-change-more-than-just-our-roads-17806">promises</a> to bring about substantial change to how we transport people and goods. But, despite advances in automation technology and operational techniques, self-driving vehicles remain <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-self-driving-cars-safe-expert-on-how-we-will-drive-in-the-future-128644">distrusted</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-the-tech-giants-struggling-to-build-their-own-driverless-cars-67465">difficult to build</a>.</p>
<p>One possible solution sits at the very interface of technology with the human: <a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/15032/teleoperation">teleoperation</a>, or the replacement of the behind-the-wheel driver with a combination of automation technology and remote-controlled human oversight. We’re involved in work that’s trialling this approach as a more realistic, less distant solution to crises in road logistics in the coming years.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/truck-driver-shortage-wont-be-solved-by-quick-fix-visas-here-are-three-ways-forward-168775">Truck driver shortage won't be solved by quick fix visas – here are three ways forward</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There has long been a desire to create intelligent and autonomous HGV solutions. Over a decade ago, the <a href="https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/the-sartre-project/">Safe Road Trains for The Environment</a> project set out to understand the feasibility of road trains, or “<a href="https://theconversation.com/coming-soon-to-a-highway-near-you-truck-platooning-87748">platoons</a>”, to address not only HGV emissions and traffic congestion, but also to enhance logistical efficiency and driver comfort. </p>
<p>In this case, the lead vehicle in the platoon controls all the vehicles behind it, with a necessary gap maintained and altered when other vehicles pass between them. The trailing vehicles require less human input, but the driver still remains in the loop – and in the cabin. That driver would still require HGV training, which doesn’t help during driver shortages. </p>
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<h2>Remote-controlled lorries</h2>
<p>A more realistic and potentially labour-saving solution comes in the form of remote-controlled HGVs. The notion of remotely controlling systems isn’t new – it dates back to the late 19th century, when the electrical engineer Nikola Tesla trialled an <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/berniecarlson/2018/07/11/nikola-teslas-third-greatest-invention-the-first-drone/?sh=604883c64d66">unmanned torpedo boat</a> controlled by radio waves. The same basic technology has been used for decades to drive toy-sized vehicles.</p>
<p>Of course, teleoperating road vehicles won’t be the same as controlling a shoebox-sized car. It will take advantage of advances in vehicular automation while still maintaining an element of remote human control over a wireless link. As such, HGV teleoperation can realise the benefits of automation – in terms of scale and reliability – while also taking advantage of human vigilance, enhancing their safety.</p>
<p>Some training would still be involved in this solution, but teleoperation has two key labour benefits. First, the human overseer could feasibly be located anywhere, reducing disruption when drivers are in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it’s also possible that, with continued improvements, trained drivers could oversee more than one HGV at a time – enabling fleets to require fewer human operators.</p>
<p>Teleoperation is currently being trialled up in north-east England, where a 40-tonne HGV is being piloted over a 5G communication network. The £4.8 million <a href="https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/5g-pilot-to-demonstrate-advanced-logistics-in-the-uk-6134">project</a> is funded by the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to realise the benefits of cutting-edge technological developments in both telecommunication and vehicular teleoperation. Such a combination of emerging technologies could result in optimal route planning, reduced emissions, reduced labour movement and safer journeys. </p>
<p>At present, the teleoperated lorry is being put through its paces at the Nissan test track in Sunderland as part of a “<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777682/fom_last_mile_road_freight.pdf">last mile delivery</a>” system – transporting goods on the final, shortest leg of their journey – to support manufacturing logistics. It’s a fitting example of how human effort can be relieved from the most intensive stage of the logistical chain. </p>
<p>To bring this vision to reality, the retailer Wilko recently made a <a href="https://www.logisticsmanager.com/wilko-makes-3-million-investment-in-streetdrone-to-bring-autonomous-deliveries-to-the-last-mile/">£3 million investment</a> into StreetDrone – one of the key partners with us on the teleoperated HGV project. StreetDrone is now aiming to bring this technology to UK roads by the end of 2023, albeit initially in smaller vehicles than HGVs.</p>
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<h2>Safety and security</h2>
<p>Such reliance on technology, however, brings about a different set of challenges. Chief among them are security threats posed to the system itself which, like any other digital system, is vulnerable to hacks.</p>
<p>The integration of 5G communication, remote control and a vehicle into one system opens the door to possible manipulation. Developers of teleoperated HGVs know they must be mindful of <a href="https://theconversation.com/ransomware-attacks-on-cities-are-rising-authorities-must-stop-paying-out-122347">ransomware attacks</a> by ordinary criminals, or more sophisticated <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-fears-a-russian-attack-on-undersea-internet-cables-that-could-plunge-world-into-chaos-49857">attacks to critical infrastructure</a> by aggressive nation states. </p>
<p>As part of the teleoperated HGV project, <a href="https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/centre-for-future-transport-and-cities/">Coventry University</a> is spearheading an extensive cyber-threat analysis and risk assessment to address these threats. Our work is attempting to understand the nature of potential hacks and cyber-attacks, building the defences that will ensure the vehicle’s safety and security when released on public roads.</p>
<p>Ultimately, as with self-driving technology, a major obstacle to the deployment of remote-controlled HGVs is <a href="https://theconversation.com/finding-trust-and-understanding-in-autonomous-technologies-70245">public distrust</a>. The general public is already concerned about the safe manoeuvring of autonomous vehicles – add in the potential for them to be hijacked or deactivated on the roads, and distrust could be a major impediment in the adoption of vehicular teleoperation.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/perfecting-self-driving-cars-can-it-be-done-157483">Perfecting self-driving cars – can it be done?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Technology undoubtedly has to be a part of any future solution to overcoming our transport and logistics issues, including driver shortages. And if full autonomy is too uncertain a solution for our society, perhaps we need to “teleoperate” our way into the future instead: automating where possible while keeping a sharp, human eye on the road ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167930/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Teleoperated’ HGVs combine the efficiency of automation with the safety of human oversight.Siraj Ahmed Shaikh, Professor of Systems Security, Coventry UniversityGiedre Sabaliauskaite, Associate Professor, Institute for Future Transport and Cities, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1564762021-05-25T12:13:16Z2021-05-25T12:13:16ZFast computers, 5G networks and radar that passes through walls are bringing ‘X-ray vision’ closer to reality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398750/original/file-20210504-16-1g0vl3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4259%2C3914&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Seeing through walls has long been a staple of comics and science fiction. Something like it could soon be a reality.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/man-with-x-ray-glasses-royalty-free-illustration/pop004?adppopup=true">Paul Gilligan/Photodisc via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Within seconds after reaching a city, earthquakes can cause immense destruction: Houses crumble, high-rises turn to rubble, people and animals are buried in the debris.</p>
<p>In the immediate aftermath of such carnage, emergency personnel desperately search for any sign of life in what used to be a home or office. Often, however, they find that they were digging in the wrong pile of rubble, and precious time has passed.</p>
<p>Imagine if rescuers could see through the debris to spot survivors under the rubble, measure their vital signs and even generate images of the victims. This is rapidly becoming possible using see-through-wall radar technology. Early versions of the technology that indicate whether a person is present in a room have been in use for several years, and some can measure vital signs albeit under better conditions than through rubble. </p>
<p>I’m an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=D_b0_TYAAAAJ&hl=en">electrical engineer</a> who researches electromagnetic communication and imaging systems. I and others are using fast computers, new algorithms and radar transceivers that collect large amounts of data to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2017.2650911">enable something much closer to the X-ray vision</a> of science fiction and comic books. This emerging technology will make it possible to determine how many occupants are present behind a wall or barrier, where they are, what items they might be carrying and, in policing or military uses, even what type of body armor they might be wearing. </p>
<p>These see-through-wall radars will also be able to track individuals’ movements, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2942358.2942381">heart and respiration rates</a>. The technology could also be used to determine from a distance the entire layout of a building, down to the location of pipes and wires within the walls, and detect hidden weapons and booby traps.</p>
<p>See-through-wall technology has been under development since the Cold War as a way to replace drilling holes through walls for spying. There are a few commercial products on the market today, like <a href="https://www2.l3t.com/cyterra/range-r.html">Range-R</a> radar, that are <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/19/police-radar-see-through-walls/22007615/">used by law enforcement officers to track motion</a> behind walls.</p>
<h2>How radar works</h2>
<p>Radar stands for radio detection and ranging. Using radio waves, a radar sends a signal that travels at the speed of light. If the signal hits an object like a plane, for example, it is reflected back toward a receiver and an echo is seen in the radar’s screen after a certain time delay. This echo can then be used to estimate the location of the object. </p>
<p>In 1842, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christian-Doppler">Christian Doppler</a>, an Austrian physicist, described a phenomenon now known as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OnBYrbCjY">Doppler effect</a> or Doppler shift, where the change in frequency of a signal is related to the speed and direction of the source of the signal. In Doppler’s original case, this was the light from a binary star system. This is similar to the changing pitch of a siren as an emergency vehicle speeds toward you, passes you and then moves away. <a href="https://www.weatherstationadvisor.com/how-does-weather-radar-work/">Doppler radar</a> uses this effect to compare the frequencies of the transmitted and reflected signals to determine the direction and speed of moving objects, like thunderstorms and speeding cars.</p>
<p>The Doppler effect can be used to detect tiny motions, including heartbeats and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/PROC.1975.9992">chest movement associated with breathing</a>. In these examples, the Doppler radar sends a signal to a human body, and the reflected signal differs based on whether the person is inhaling or exhaling, or even based on the person’s heart rate. This allows the technology to accurately measure these vital signs.</p>
<h2>How radar can go through walls</h2>
<p>Like cellphones, radars use electromagnetic waves. When a wave hits solid walls like drywall or wood walls, a fraction of it is reflected off the surface. But the rest travels through the wall, especially at relatively low radio frequencies. The transmitted wave can be totally reflected back if it hits a metal object or even a human, because the human body’s high water content makes it highly reflective. </p>
<p>If the radar’s receiver is sensitive enough – a lot more sensitive than ordinary radar receivers – it can pick up the signals that are reflected back through the wall. Using well-established signal processing techniques, the reflections from static objects like walls and furniture can be filtered out, allowing the signal of interest – like a person’s location – to be isolated. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A diagram showing a square on the left, a vertical rectangle in the middle and a sphere on the right. A series of four diminishing sine waves pass from the square to the wall, the wall to the sphere, the sphere back to the wall and from the wall to the sq" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402183/original/file-20210521-15-1q4zmel.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The key to using radar to track objects on the other side of a wall is having a very sensitive antenna that can pick up the greatly diminished reflected radio waves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abdel-Kareem Moadi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Turning data into images</h2>
<p>Historically, radar technology has been limited in its ability to aid in disaster management and law enforcement because it hasn’t had sufficient computational power or speed to filter out background noise from complicated environments like foliage or rubble and produce live images.</p>
<p>Today, however, radar sensors can often collect and process large amounts of data – even in harsh environments – and generate high-resolution images of targets. By using sophisticated algorithms, they can display the data in near real-time. This requires fast computer processors to rapidly handle these large amounts of data, and <a href="https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/introduction-to-ultra-wideband-uwb-technology/">wideband circuits</a> that can rapidly transmit data to improve the images’ resolution. </p>
<p>Recent developments in <a href="https://www.networkworld.com/article/3291323/millimeter-wave-wireless-could-help-support-5g-and-iot.html">millimeter wave</a> wireless technology, from 5G to 5G+ and beyond, are likely to help further improve this technology, providing higher-resolution images through order-of-magnitude wider bandwidth. The wireless technology will also speed data processing times because it greatly reduces latency, the time between transmitting and receiving data.</p>
<p>My laboratory is developing fast methods to remotely characterize the electrical characteristics of walls, which help in calibrating the radar waves and optimize the antennas to make the waves more easily pass through the wall and essentially make the wall transparent to the waves. We are also developing the software and hardware system to carry out the radar systems’ big data analyses in near real-time. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="On the left, a laboratory set up showing a cinderblock wall and a foil-covered cardboard silhouette of a person, and, on the right, a radar image showing a corresponding silhouette in a three-dimensional space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398731/original/file-20210504-14-4vjpva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This laboratory wall-penetrating radar provides more detail than today’s commercial systems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aly Fathy</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Better electronics promise portable radars</h2>
<p>Radar systems at the low frequencies usually required to see through walls are bulky due to the large size of the antenna. The wavelength of electromagnetic signals corresponds to the size of the antenna. Scientists have been pushing see-through-wall radar technology to higher frequencies in order to build smaller and more portable systems. </p>
<p>In addition to providing a tool for emergency services, law enforcement and the military, the technology could also be used to monitor the elderly and read vital signs of patients with infectious diseases like COVID-19 from outside a hospital room.</p>
<p>One indication of see-through-wall radar’s potential is the U.S. Army’s interest. They’re <a href="https://beta.sam.gov/opp/23889bcd68074e068c474d986cb476c1/view?keywords=%22artificial%20intelligence%22%20&sort=-modifiedDate&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1">looking for technology</a> that can create three-dimensional maps of buildings and their occupants in almost real-time. They are even looking for see-through-wall radar that can create images of people’s faces that are accurate enough for facial recognition systems to identify the people behind the wall. </p>
<p>Whether or not researchers can develop see-through-wall radar that’s sensitive enough to distinguish people by their faces, the technology is likely to move well beyond blobs on a screen to give first responders something like superhuman powers.</p>
<p>[<em>Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-understand">Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156476/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aly Fathy receives funding from Army with Villanova University as the prime. He is affiliated with MaXentric Technology and sponsored by DHS.
</span></em></p>The murky blobs visible with today’s wall-penetrating radar could soon give way to detailed images of people and things on the other side of a wall – and even measure people’s breathing and heart rate.Aly Fathy, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1586102021-04-27T04:45:51Z2021-04-27T04:45:51ZWas Phar Lap killed by gangsters? New research shows which conspiracies people believe in and why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397271/original/file-20210427-13-1uxkdfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=139%2C44%2C2811%2C2209&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Apollo moon landings <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1860992,00.html">were faked</a>, Lee Harvey Oswald <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/165893/majority-believe-jfk-killed-conspiracy.aspx">did not act alone</a> to assassinate JFK, governments are <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/science/articles-reports/2019/07/03/UFOs-government-secret-americans-poll">hiding the existence of UFOs</a>. </p>
<p>These are some classic conspiracy theories that almost everyone has heard about, and a sizeable number of people agree with. But little research has investigated “homegrown” conspiracy theories in Australia and New Zealand, and what drives people in these countries to believe in conspiracies. Are we much different from conspiracy believers elsewhere?</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/RGSXEZNJYVJBJFZEDGFD?target=10.1111/pops.12746">Our new research published in the journal Political Psychology</a> delved into “homegrown” conspiracy beliefs of everyday Aussies and Kiwis, shedding light on which ones we buy into and which we put in the “tin foil hat” basket.</p>
<h2>What conspiracies do Aussies and Kiwis believe?</h2>
<p>When it comes to specifically Australian and New Zealand conspiracies, we found a majority of people in both countries (56.7% of Aussies and 50.1% Kiwis) endorsed at least one of the ones we asked about.</p>
<p>Sporting conspiracy theories were the most believed. For instance, almost one third of Aussies believed the racehorse Phar Lap’s <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/phar-lap-collection">sudden death in San Francisco in 1932</a> was the result of poisoning by US gangsters.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sport-is-full-of-conspiracy-theories-chris-froomes-horrific-cycling-crash-is-just-the-latest-example-118918">Sport is full of conspiracy theories – Chris Froome’s horrific cycling crash is just the latest example</a>
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<p>The most popular conspiracy theory amongst Kiwis was the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/all-blacks-deliberately-poisoned-at-1995-rugby-world-cup-says-nelson-mandelas-bodyguard/AZOWJNWGCVALROTY3COJHVXSNI/">All Blacks were deliberately poisoned</a> prior to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, which they narrowly lost to hosts South Africa. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The All Blacks lost the 1995 final in extra time." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397274/original/file-20210427-21-dlgtvw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The All Blacks were stricken by a diarrhoea and vomiting bug two days before the final, a 15-12 loss in extra time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Parkin/AP</span></span>
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<p>These are relatively innocuous narratives that perhaps are not all that surprising, given how central sports are to national identity.</p>
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<p>But there was also a sizeable minority of people (8-12%) who believed in darker and more sinister conspiracies, such as the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/3/28/australian-senator-suggests-worst-gun-massacre-was-a-conspiracy">Port Arthur</a> and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/christchurch-attack-was-a-false-flag-conspiracy-theorists-claim-20190318-p5150a.html">Christchurch</a> massacres were false flag operations by government agents with the aim of further restricting gun ownership.</p>
<p>Also, troublingly, 20% of Australian respondents and 16% of New Zealanders believed their governments were covering up the health risks of the new 5G cellular network.</p>
<h2>Why do people believe in conspiracies?</h2>
<p>Conspiracies are found to be true on occasion, which renders them no longer “theories”. For example, in the 1960s and 70s, the CIA really did engage in secretive experiments to identify drugs to force confessions (<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/09/758989641/the-cias-secret-quest-for-mind-control-torture-lsd-and-a-poisoner-in-chief">Project MKUltra</a>). </p>
<p>But what is surprising is the degree to which people seem to believe in unfounded conspiracies, especially given the lack of evidence.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417718261">Previous research</a> has highlighted three potential motives for why people buy into conspiracy theories.</p>
<p>First, people may latch onto conspiracy theories as a way of understanding and explaining a chaotic world, drawing links between unconnected events to create a sense of certainty. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006">studies</a> show people who prefer an intuitive style of thinking — “going with their gut” — are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, while those who engage in more deliberative, analytic thinking are less convinced.</p>
<p>Second, for some people, believing in conspiracy theories gives them a greater sense of safety and control over the unknown. Central to this is a distrust of the “other” — as in, different types of people or groups. </p>
<p>Some researchers have pointed to this being <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618774270">evolutionary</a> — a psychological mechanism that aims to minimise the risk of threats from enemies and maintain a safe environment for one’s “tribe”.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-conspiracy-theories-and-why-the-term-is-a-misnomer-101678">In defence of conspiracy theories (and why the term is a misnomer)</a>
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<p>Lastly, conspiracy theories may serve as a way for people to maintain a positive sense of self and their identity as a member of a social group. This meets a fundamental human need for belonging. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.10.003">those who felt socially excluded</a> have been found to be more likely to engage in conspiracies.</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/RGSXEZNJYVJBJFZEDGFD?target=10.1111/pops.12746">In our research</a>, we found evidence for all three motives being associated with belief in conspiracy theories. </p>
<p>We asked participants a series of validated questions and looked at their associations with beliefs in conspiracies. Those who were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories were less analytical in their thinking, less trusting of others, or felt alienated from mainstream society. </p>
<h2>What does this mean for combating conspiracies?</h2>
<p>Research has shown that belief in conspiracy theories, on balance, is <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/spanish-journal-of-psychology/article/abs/are-conspiracy-theories-harmless/FA0A9D612CC82B02F91AAC2439B4A2FB">harmful to society</a>. Climate change conspiracy theories can <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0096340215571908">motivate people away from social action</a>, while conspiracy theories about 5G telecommunications have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12394">associated with support for violent tendencies</a>.</p>
<p>Also, research shows people who believe in one conspiracy theory <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00206">tend to believe in others</a>. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-misinformation-about-5g-is-spreading-within-our-government-institutions-and-whos-responsible-139304">How misinformation about 5G is spreading within our government institutions – and who's responsible</a>
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<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/QSWE8JP8YA4ATBEFFTAS/full">Our other recent research</a> shows people who engage in some kinds of conspiratorial thinking are also more likely to reject beneficial scientific innovations. </p>
<p>For example, those who believe in criminal conspiracies within governments and conspiracies related to restrictions on personal health practices and liberties are more likely to reject childhood vaccinations.</p>
<p>Trying to extricate friends and family from these webs of conspiracies can be difficult. But appealing to why they believe in them — rather than just what they believe — <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0040437">may be more effective at countering these beliefs</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ConspiracyTheoryHandbook.pdf">Research</a> suggests avoiding ridicule, showing empathy, affirming critical thinking and appealing to trusted message sources can help when talking to someone who believes in conspiracy theories.</p>
<p>We are currently planning and conducting further research to track people’s beliefs over time so we can pinpoint the key ingredients to their continued endorsement of conspiracies — and what convinces them to climb out of the rabbit hole. </p>
<p>We hope this will help counter the pernicious effects conspiracy theories have on societal cohesion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At least half of Australians and New Zealanders in a recent study believed in one major conspiracy theory.Mathew Marques, Lecturer in Social Psychology, La Trobe UniversityJames (Jim) McLennan, adjunct professor, School of Psychology & Public Health, La Trobe University, La Trobe UniversityJohn Kerr, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeMathew Ling, Lecturer in Psychology, Deakin UniversityMatt Williams, Lecturer in Psychology, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1586652021-04-09T12:58:41Z2021-04-09T12:58:41ZNikola Tesla: 5G network could realise his dream of wireless electricity, a century after experiments failed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394265/original/file-20210409-17-1514onf.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C0%2C3799%2C2155&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">At the turn of the twentieth century, electrical engineer Nikola Tesla began work on a wireless electricity network. It ultimately failed.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wallsdesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Nikola-Tesla-Images.jpg">Wallsdesk</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the height of his career, the pioneering electrical engineer <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/nikola-tesla-48233">Nikola Tesla</a> became obsessed with an idea. He theorised that electricity could be transmitted wirelessly through the air at long distances – either via a series of strategically positioned towers, or hopping across a system of suspended balloons.</p>
<p>Things <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-wardenclyffe-tower-nikola-tesla">didn’t go to plan</a>, and Tesla’s ambitions for a wireless global electricity supply were never realised. But the theory itself wasn’t disproved: it would have simply required an extraordinary amount of power, much of which would have been wasted.</p>
<p>Now, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79500-x">a research paper</a> has suggested that the architects of the 5G network may have unwittingly built what Tesla failed to construct at the turn of the twentieth century: a “wireless power grid” that could be adapted to charge or power small devices embedded in cars, homes, workplaces and factories.</p>
<p>Because 5G relies upon a dense network of masts and a powerful series of antenna, it’s possible that the same infrastructure, with some tweaks, could beam power to small devices. But the transmission will still suffer from the key drawback of Tesla’s towers: high energy wastage, which may be difficult to justify given the urgency of the climate crisis.</p>
<h2>5G networks</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and white photo of an electricity tower" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=818&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=818&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394247/original/file-20210409-23-6qlxqm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=818&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of Tesla’s towers, photographed in 1904.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_Tower#/media/File:Tesla_Broadcast_Tower_1904.jpeg">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>Decades ago, it was discovered that <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19760004119">a tightly focused radio beam</a> can transmit power over relatively large distances without using a wire to carry the charge. The same technology is now used in the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/5g-uk">5G network</a>: the latest generation of technology to beam internet connection to your phone, via radio waves transmitted from a local antenna. </p>
<p>This 5G technology aims to provide a <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9007754">1,000-fold capacity increase</a> over the last generation, 4G, to allow up to one million users to connect per square kilometre – making those moments searching for signal at music festivals or sports events a thing of the past.</p>
<p>To support these upgrades, 5G uses some engineering magic, and this magic comes in three parts: very dense networks with many more masts, special antenna technology, and the inclusion of <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9318751">millimetre wave</a> (mmWave) transmission alongside more traditional bands.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5g-what-will-it-offer-and-why-does-it-matter-109010">5G: what will it offer and why does it matter?</a>
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<p>The last of these, mmWave, opens up much more bandwidth at the cost of shorter transmission distances. For context, most WiFi routers operate in the 2GHz band. If your router has a 5GHz option, you’ll have noticed that movies stream more smoothly – but you have to be closer to your router for it to work. </p>
<p>Increase the frequency further (like mmWave, which operates at 30GHz or more) and you see even greater improvements in bandwidth – but you need to be closer to the base station to access it. This is why 5G masts are <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/5g-cell-towers-4584192">more densely clustered</a> than 4G masts.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A 5G antenna module on a mast" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394267/original/file-20210409-23-eqybm8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">5G masts are more densely clustered than their predecessors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/5g-cellular-repeaters-on-pole-1296375235">Lisic/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>The last bit of magic is to add many more antennas - between 128 and 1,024 compared to a much smaller number (just two in some cases) for 4G. Multiple antennas allow masts to form hundreds of pencil-like beams that target particular devices, providing efficient and reliable internet to your phone on the move.</p>
<p>These happen to be the same raw ingredients needed to create a wireless power grid. The increased network density is particularly important, because it opens up the possibility of using mmWave bands to transmit different radio waves which can carry both internet connection and electrical power.</p>
<h2>Experimenting with 5G power</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79500-x">experiments</a> used new types of antenna to facilitate wireless charging. In the laboratory, the researchers were able to beam 5G power over a relatively short distance of just over 2 metres, but they expect that a future version of their device will be able to transmit 6μW (6 millionths of a watt) at a distance of 180 metres.</p>
<p>To put that into context, common Internet of Things (IoT) devices consume around <a href="https://www.manualslib.com/manual/808633/Moteiv-Telos.html?page=4#manual">5μW</a> – but only when in their deepest sleep mode. Of course, IoT devices will require less and less power to run as clever algorithms and more efficient electronics are developed, but 6μW is still a very small amount of power. </p>
<p>That means, for the time being at least, that 5G wireless power is unlikely to be practical for charging your mobile phone as you go about your day. But it could charge or power <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/what-is-the-iot/">IoT devices</a>, like sensors and alarms, which are <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/5g-action-plan">expected to become widespread</a> in the future.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">Explainer: the Internet of Things</a>
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<p>In factories, for instance, hundreds of IoT sensors are likely to be used to monitor conditions in warehouses, to predict failures in machinery, or to track the movement of parts along a production line. Being able to beam power directly to these IoT devices will encourage the move to <a href="https://www.supplychainbrain.com/blogs/1-think-tank/post/31478-how-wireless-power-is-transforming-manufacturing">far more efficient</a> manufacturing practices.</p>
<h2>Teething problems</h2>
<p>But there will be challenges to overcome before then. To provide wireless power, 5G masts will consume around 31kW of energy – equivalent to 10 kettles constantly boiling water. </p>
<p>Though concerns that 5G technology can cause cancer have been widely <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/electromagnetic-fields-fact-sheet#r45">debunked by scientists</a>, this amount of power emanating from masts could be unsafe. A <a href="http://hintlink.com/power_density.php">rough calculation</a> suggests that users will need to be kept at least 16 metres away from masts to comply with safety <a href="https://www.itpro.co.uk/policy-legislation/34526/what-is-the-federal-communications-commission-fcc">regulations</a> set by the US Federal Communications Commission.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/four-experts-investigate-how-the-5g-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-began-139137">Four experts investigate how the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory began</a>
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<p>That said, this technology is in its infancy. It’s certainly possible that future approaches, such as new antenna with narrower and more targeted beams, could significantly reduce the energy required – and wasted – by each mast.</p>
<p>At present, the proposed system is rather reminiscent of the fictional “<a href="https://roalddahl.fandom.com/wiki/Wonkavision">Wonkavision</a>” in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which achieved the feat of beaming confectionary into TVs – but had to use a huge block of chocolate to produce a much smaller one at the other end. </p>
<p>Because it’ll consume a high amount of power compared to the power it’ll deliver to devices, 5G wireless power is, for the moment, speculative. But if engineers can find more efficient ways to beam electricity through the air, it may well be that Nikola Tesla’s dream of wireless power could be realised – over 100 years since his attempts failed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158665/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Peter Brusey receives funding from EU Horizon 2020 as part of the DOMUS project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elena Gaura does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New 5G technologies also boast the raw ingredients needed to beam wireless power to small devices.Elena Gaura, Associate Dean for Research, Coventry UniversityJames Peter Brusey, Professor of Computer Science, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1479722021-01-11T13:14:46Z2021-01-11T13:14:46ZConsumer electronics have changed a lot in 20 years – systems for managing e-waste aren’t keeping up<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376831/original/file-20201231-49872-1uzkolc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C11%2C3864%2C2572&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most of the world's electronics are not recycled, posing health and environmental risks. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/abandoned-and-rusted-laptop-lying-on-riverbed-royalty-free-image/108162816">catscandotcom/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s hard to imagine navigating modern life without a <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/are-cell-phones-becoming-more-popular-toilets">mobile phone</a> in hand. Computers, tablets and smartphones have transformed how we communicate, work, learn, share news and entertain ourselves. They became even more essential when the COVID-19 pandemic moved classes, meetings and social connections online. </p>
<p>But few people realize that our reliance on electronics comes with steep environmental costs, from mining minerals to disposing of used devices. Consumers can’t resist faster products with more storage and better cameras, but constant upgrades have created a <a href="https://time.com/5594380/world-electronic-waste-problem/">growing global waste challenge</a>. In 2019 alone, people discarded <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Documents/Toolbox/GEM_2020_def.pdf">53 million metric tons of electronic waste</a>.</p>
<p>In our work as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oZyg9b4AAAAJ&hl=en">sustainability researchers</a>, we study how consumer behavior and technological innovations influence the products that people buy, how long they keep them and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=z6q5FZMAAAAJ&hl=en">how these items are reused or recycled</a>. </p>
<p>Our research shows that while e-waste is rising globally, it’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">declining in the U.S.</a> But some innovations that are slimming down the e-waste stream are also making products harder to repair and recycle.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sending electronics to junkyards or landfills wastes an opportunity to recycle valuable materials inside them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/junkyard-with-old-computer-and-electronic-parts-ca-news-photo/144074229">Joe Sohm/Visions of America /Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recycling used electronics</h2>
<p>Thirty years of data show why the volume of e-waste in the U.S. is decreasing. New products are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bb5ff45b98f64123b3d408dd4a336b59">lighter and more compact than past offerings</a>. Smartphones and laptops have edged out desktop computers. Televisions with thin, flat screens have displaced bulkier <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode-ray_tube">cathode-ray tubes</a>, and streaming services are doing the job that once required standalone MP3, DVD and Blu-ray players. U.S. households now produce about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">10% less electronic waste by weight</a> than they did at their peak in 2015.</p>
<p>The bad news is that <a href="https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling">only about 35% of U.S. e-waste is recycled</a>. Consumers often don’t know where to recycle discarded products. If electronic devices decompose in landfills, hazardous compounds can leach into groundwater, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2019.1640807">lead</a> used in older circuit boards, mercury found in early LCD screens and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/30/toxins-in-plastics-blamed-for-health-environment-hazards">flame retardants</a> in plastics. This process poses health risks to people and wildlife. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"809910797182914560"}"></div></p>
<p>There’s a clear need to recycle e-waste, both to protect public health and to recover valuable metals. Electronics contain rare minerals and precious metals mined in socially and ecologically <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/">vulnerable parts of the world</a>. Reuse and recycling can reduce demand for “<a href="https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/09/companies-struggle-comply-conflict-mineral-reporting-rules/">conflict minerals</a>” and <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-a-circular-approach-can-turn-e-waste-into-a-golden-opportunity/">create new jobs and revenue streams</a>. </p>
<p>But it’s not a simple process. Disassembling electronics for repair or material recovery is expensive and labor-intensive. </p>
<p>Some recycling companies have illegally <a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2020/12/03/former-president-of-crt-processor-sentenced-to-prison/">stockpiled</a> or <a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2013/08/23/abandoned-warehouses-full-crts-found-several-states/">abandoned</a> e-waste. One Denver warehouse was called “<a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2013/08/23/abandoned-warehouses-full-crts-found-several-states/">an environmental disaster</a>” when 8,000 tons of lead-filled tubes from old TVs were discovered there in 2013. </p>
<p>The U.S. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/america-e-waste-gps-tracker-tells-all-earthfix">exports up to 40% of its e-waste</a>. Some goes to regions such as Southeast Asia that have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/world/asia/e-waste-thailand-southeast-asia.html">little environmental oversight and few measures to protect workers</a> who repair or recycle electronics. </p>
<h2>Disassembling products and assembling data</h2>
<p>Health and environmental risks have prompted 25 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to <a href="https://www.ecycleclearinghouse.org/maps.aspx">enact e-waste recycling laws</a>. Some of these measures ban landfilling electronics, while others require manufacturers to support recycling efforts. All of them target large products, like old cathode-ray tube TVs, which contain up to 4 pounds of lead.</p>
<p>We wanted to know whether these laws, adopted from 2003 to 2011, can keep up with the current generation of electronic products. To find out, we needed a better estimate of how much e-waste the U.S. now produces.</p>
<p>We mapped sales of electronic products from the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/a-terminal-condition/361313/">1950s</a> to the present, using data from industry reports, government sources and consumer surveys. Then we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0573-9">disassembled almost 100 devices</a>, from obsolete VCRs to today’s smartphones and fitness trackers, to weigh and measure the materials they contained.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A researcher takes apart a smartphone to find out what materials are inside.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shahana Althaf</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This dissected tablet shows the components inside, each of which were logged, weighed and measured by researchers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Callie Babbitt</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We created a <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3986969">computer model to analyze the data</a>, producing one of the most detailed accounts of U.S. electronic product consumption and discards currently available.</p>
<h2>E-waste is leaner, but not necessarily greener</h2>
<p>The big surprise from our research was that U.S. households are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">producing less e-waste</a>, thanks to compact product designs and digital innovation. For example, a smartphone serves as an all-in-one phone, camera, MP3 player and portable navigation system. Flat-panel TVs are about 50% lighter than <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/06/15/15greenwire-some-see-e-waste-crisis-trailing-switch-to-dig-81110.html">large-tube TVs</a> and don’t contain any lead. </p>
<p>But not all innovations have been beneficial. To make lightweight products, manufacturers miniaturized components and glued parts together, making it harder to repair devices and more expensive to recycle them. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-01890-3">Lithium-ion batteries</a> pose another problem: They are hard to detect and remove, and they can spark <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/28/21156477/recycling-plants-fire-batteries-rechargeable-smartphone-lithium-ion">disastrous fires</a> during transportation or recycling.</p>
<p>Popular features that consumers love – speed, sharp images, responsive touch screens and long battery life – rely on metals like cobalt, indium and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-rare-earths-crucial-elements-in-modern-technology-4-questions-answered-101364">rare-earth elements</a> that require immense energy and expense to mine. Commercial recycling technology cannot yet recover them profitably, although innovations are starting to emerge. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apple’s new robot, Daisy, can disassemble nine different iPhone models to recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/04/apple-adds-earth-day-donations-to-trade-in-and-recycling-program/">Apple</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reenvisioning waste as a resource</h2>
<p>We believe solving these challenges requires a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.05.038">proactive approach</a> that treats digital discards as resources, not waste. Gold, silver, palladium and other valuable materials are now more concentrated in e-waste than in natural ores in the ground. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200407-urban-mining-how-your-home-may-be-a-gold-mine">Urban mining</a>,” in the form of recycling e-waste, could replace the need to dig up scarce metals, reducing environmental damage. It would also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105248">reduce U.S. dependence</a> on <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/chinas-critical-minerals-national-security-meaning-supply-chain-interdependence">minerals imported from other countries</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Concentration of hazardous (left) and valuable (right) materials within the U.S. e-waste stream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Althaf et al. 2020</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Government, industry and consumers all have roles to play. Progress will require designing products that are <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/">easier to repair</a> and reuse, and persuading consumers to <a href="https://earth911.com/eco-tech/ways-to-reuse-old-laptop/">keep their devices longer</a>. </p>
<p>We also see a need for responsive e-waste laws in place of today’s dated patchwork of state regulations. Establishing <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-u-s-laws-do-and-dont-support-e-recycling-and-reuse/">convenient</a>, <a href="https://sustainableelectronics.org/recyclers">certified</a> <a href="https://e-stewards.org/">recycling locations</a> can keep more electronics out of landfills. With retooled operations, recyclers can recover more valuable materials from the e-waste stream. Steps like these can help balance our reliance on electronic devices with systems that better protect human health and the environment. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147972/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Callie Babbitt receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Consumer Technology Association, and the Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shahana Althaf received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Consumer Technology Association, and the Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab.</span></em></p>Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.Callie Babbitt, Associate Professor of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of TechnologyShahana Althaf, Postdoctoral associate, Yale UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1522892020-12-18T15:29:25Z2020-12-18T15:29:25ZMajor changes coming over the horizon for the global space industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375755/original/file-20201217-13-1dxaldl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C1500%2C920&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A photo taken from the International Space Station in 2014 shows the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft on the left and the unpiloted ISS Progress 57 cargo craft. Six years later, private players have joined the space race. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://picryl.com/media/iss042e101429-d4b134">Picryl</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The attention of the world has recently been captured by the return of Japan’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/hayabusa-2-returning-asteroid-sample-could-help-uncover-the-origins-of-life-and-the-solar-system-151415">Hayabusa-2 asteroid mission</a>, the activities of Elon Musk’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/spacex-reaches-for-milestone-in-spaceflight-a-private-company-launches-astronauts-into-orbit-138765">SpaceX</a> venture, and China’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/change-5-china-launches-sample-return-mission-to-the-moon-is-it-winning-the-new-space-race-150665">Chang'e 5 moon landing</a>, yet a quiet revolution is taking place in the global space industry. This revolution started in the 2010s and its full impact on global space industry should be measured over the next decade.</p>
<p>In the next 10 years, the entry into service of constellations of small satellites should reshape the face of the global space industry. While the miniaturization of satellites is not a disruptive innovation in itself, it signals a paradigm shift. It will continue to significantly reduce the cost of access to space and pave the way for the mass production of satellites, which in turn will reduce the cost of the space infrastructure itself.</p>
<p>The space industry used to be organized in highly hierarchical industrial chains around prime contractors, most often under public leadership, NASA being a leading example. It now operates like industrial ecosystems budding upstream or downstream around private space infrastructure. </p>
<p>This industrial change is taking place in an institutional context dominated by a lasting crisis in international governance of space activities. The creation of an international civil space organization (ICSO) is not currently conceivable, but with the arrival of President-elect Joe Biden, we should expect the return of the United States to a more consensual diplomacy. However, the United States is likely to continue leading the game with the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-accords/img/Artemis-Accords-signed-13Oct2020.pdf">Artemis Agreements</a>. They propose an intelligent rereading – albeit <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-corporations-control-territory-in-space-under-new-us-rules-it-might-be-possible-138939">favorable to US interests</a> and current American industrial supremacy – of the principles contained in the <a href="https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm">Outer Space Treaty</a> signed at the end of the 1960s. </p>
<p>While only nine states have currently signed the agreement, this could increase if the EU collectively takes a position and suggests an alternative, which could lead to a reciprocity agreement. In this regard, the idea of a Space Market Act should be supported, along the lines of the two recently announced regulations: the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-services-act-package">Digital Services Act</a> and the <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2020/12/02/eu-commission-president-von-der-leyen-outlines-vision-for-eu-digital-market">Digital Market Act</a>.</p>
<p>In the meantime, international attention should continue to focus on the issue of <a href="https://theconversation.com/space-junk-astronomers-worry-as-private-companies-push-ahead-with-satellite-launches-137572">space debris</a>, and it will certainly be necessary to move quickly far beyond current management efforts. A useful lead could result from a transposition of the experience of the salvage clauses in the field of maritime insurance to space insurance law.</p>
<h2>Rising data flows from space</h2>
<p>In the coming years, the space industrial ecosystem will be dominated by the question of spatially derived data. The launch of constellations of small satellites will increase the volume of data produced, whether it is concerning the Earth or space itself. These data will need to be processed, and from this processing will result numerous commercial services being offered.</p>
<p>This accumulation of spatially derived data could be disruptive. Some governments will seek to protect their satellites or space platforms by setting up keep-out zones (more diplomatically referred to as “safety zones”). Others, such as EU member states, will be more attentive to the data’s personal nature, or to the limits that the collection and processing of these data may bring to the sovereignty of states, including the risk of anti-competitive behavior.</p>
<p>These big data flows have the potential to attract a range of industrial players who will implement techniques from Silicon Valley such as MVP (<a href="https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/mvp/">minimum viable product</a>. The technique makes it possible to market a product (good or service) that is not yet fully finished, while collecting information from its users that will make it possible to improve it.</p>
<p>The multiplication of these private operators should maintain an important flow of financial transactions: fund-raising in the different series, acquisitions, calls to the financial markets with or without special purpose acquisition company (<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/spac.asp">SPAC</a>). The question of such companies’ growth strategy will certainly arise: internal growth by strengthening or diversifying their activities or external growth by acquisition. Acquisitions are likely to prevail and market concentration is likely to rise. This should raise the growing question of the compatibility of vertically integrated players with competition rules.</p>
<p>Defense should remain an important customer of the space-imagery industry and should contribute its growth through multiple initiatives (financing, public procurement, calls for tenders). While this mono-customer situation has advantages, it may reduce the prospects and durability of this industry. </p>
<p>The market for commercial space applications should attract a clientele that demands high-quality services, particularly their performance. The arrival of the first constellations of small satellites also offers immense potential for services provided in orbit (refueling, observation, maintenance). More traditional sectors of the space industry should emerge transformed, starting with the space-insurance industry, which will not be able to ignore the resilience rates of the announced constellations. These rates should increase the need of inspection missions carried out.</p>
<h2>Competition law and the space legal framework</h2>
<p>Terrestrial infrastructure development, <a href="https://www.futurithmic.com/2020/03/10/5g-from-space-role-of-satellites/">particularly those of 5G</a>, should not be seen as a competitor but rather as a complement to the services provided by small satellite constellations.</p>
<p>The space industry cannot remain a long-term stranger to the phenomenon observed in recent years of a shift in value-added, toward content providers and more generally, the ICT industry. Convergence between the two industries will be found or will have to be found. The great challenge that awaits all operators of terrestrial or <a href="http://satellitemarkets.com/satellite-iot-game-changer-industry">satellite infrastructures should be that of IoT</a>.</p>
<p>Following in the wake of the <a href="https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/space/">GPS and small-satellite revolution</a>, the shift to electric vehicles should bring with it the “dashboard challenge” – being able to guide vehicles’ automatic driving and on-board services. Powerful industrial alliances, following the example of <a href="https://www.safe-ev.de/de/">Software Alliance for E-mobility</a> (SAFE), LEAF or Charge-Up Europe, will certainly be necessary between space and terrestrial, modern and more traditional industries, as they have begun to be under <a href="https://www.gsa.europa.eu/newsroom/news/escape-project-launches-positioning-module-autonomous-driving">GNSS Escape</a> (European Safety Critical Applications Positioning Engine) program.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/global-space-industry-report-2020-focus-on-29-key-roles-across-the-space-ecosystem-1029856945?op=1">space industry value chain</a> should therefore welcome new activities, demonstrating the growing dynamism of the global space industry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucien Rapp assure la direction scientifique de la Chaire SIRIUS (<a href="http://www.chaire-sirius.eu">www.chaire-sirius.eu</a>), cofinancée par le CNES, Arbus Defense and Space et Thales Alenia Space.</span></em></p>Over the coming decade, the arrival of constellations of small satellites will reshape the space industry. It constitutes a paradigm shift, particularly in terms of data gathering and processing.Lucien Rapp, Professeur d'Université chez Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Professeur International Business Law, HEC Paris Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1481022020-10-15T05:44:19Z2020-10-15T05:44:19ZApple releases fast 5G iPhones, but not for Australia. And we’re lagging behind in getting there<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363599/original/file-20201015-21-1tqph2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Following in the footsteps of Samsung, Apple has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-14/apple-iphone-12-launch-5g-charger-headphone-cost-australia/12764668">released</a> its first high-spectrum 5G smartphone, the iPhone 12. But only US customers will benefit.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L01016">High-spectrum 5G</a> uses millimetre-wave frequencies in the 26GHz range (25.1GHz to 27.5GHz). But Australia’s mobile phone networks, although they can access the mid-range 5G spectrum, don’t have access to these high frequencies. </p>
<p>Unlike the US version, the iPhone 12 model for Australia <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/apple-unveils-four-iphone-12-models-with-5g-capability/news-story/00b2f77c5f9b41f4807b83ba6d053f45">lacks</a> the distinct millimetre-wave antenna necessary to access them. In other words, Australians who purchase an iPhone 12 wouldn’t be able to access high-spectrum 5G even if it was available here.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1316123522335412227"}"></div></p>
<p>This is another stark reminder of the effort needed to enable Australia’s “<a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/funding-and-incentives/industry-40">fourth industrial revolution</a>”. Not having high-spectrum 5G available for the public and businesses right now is a letdown and will set the country back as it struggles to recover from a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53994318">recession</a>.</p>
<h2>How did we fall so far behind?</h2>
<p>Using millimetre waves such as the 26GHz frequency range allows massive data transfer capacity over short <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/weve-smashed-another-speed-record/">distances</a>. </p>
<p>Millimetre waves are what will help US iPhone 12 users reach speeds of up to 4Gbps (gigabits per second). The extra bandwidth will be especially useful in public spaces that require higher data capacity <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2020/10/apple-announces-iphone-12-and-iphone-12-mini-a-new-era-for-iphone-with-5g/">throughput</a>, such as shopping centres and sport stadiums.</p>
<p>In the US, Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/02/samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra-review-5g-100x-zoom-camera-120hz-display.html">launched</a> in March, both support millimetre-wave frequencies. But telcos AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile had rolled out the network even before the millimetre wave 5G-capable smartphones were released. Meanwhile, individual customers and businesses in Australia are still limited to 5G in the sub‑6 GHz range.</p>
<p>The higher-frequency 5G technology is currently only available in the US, but has also been assigned in Italy and Finland. Several other <a href="https://www.rcrwireless.com/20200430/5g/global-outlook-mmwave-5g-2020">countries are planning</a> to upgrade soon, including Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Local licenses are also available in the UK. </p>
<p>According to a European Commission report, 15 of the European Union member states, as well as the UK, have already completed at least one <a href="http://5gobservatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/90013-5G-Observatory-Quarterly-report-8_1507.pdf">26GHz spectrum auction</a>. And at least one spectrum auction was scheduled for this year for 25 countries, as well as the UK. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the Australian government is planning to <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/departmental-news/spectrum-allocation-limits-released-5g">auction off</a> the use of the 26GHz frequencies in March next year, for the first time ever. </p>
<p>This leaves us trailing behind. The longer the delays in bringing the millimetre wave spectrum to Australia, the longer we’ll have to wait before benefiting from it.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-5g-radiation-doesnt-cause-or-spread-the-coronavirus-saying-it-does-is-destructive-135695">No, 5G radiation doesn't cause or spread the coronavirus. Saying it does is destructive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Sold to the highest bidder</h2>
<p>Following next year’s scheduled auction, Australians may not be able to experience any 5G millimetre wave connectivity until late 2021, or even <a href="https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/5g-in-australia-what-you-need-to-know">early</a> <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/weve-smashed-another-speed-record/">2022</a>.</p>
<p>The result will depend on the best business cases put forth by mobile companies during the auction, as well as how they allocate the bandwidth between individuals and business customers. The spectrum will likely be prioritised for industrial use first, before it’s rolled out to residential customers. </p>
<p>That said, if businesses such as manufacturers, sports stadiums, shopping malls, offices and high-rise residential buildings benefit, then individual customers are likely to benefit as well. This is because costs would likely drop and prices would follow. </p>
<p>This was the strategy followed in the US and which Optus has indicated it’s also <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Optus_31.pdf">likely to follow</a>.</p>
<h2>What speed tests in Australia reveal</h2>
<p>During isolated tests in Australia, non-millimetre wave 5G speeds were recorded to be at least 3.9 to 4.6 times faster than 4G, for Optus and Telstra. But this is still slower than the 1Gbps speeds usually associated with <a href="https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2020/08/australia/mobile-network-experience-5g">5G</a>.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/world-first-5g-trial-data-call-over-26ghz-mmwave-spectrum/">Telstra report</a> from last month, millimetre-wave tests conducted by the company promised speeds of 4.2Gbps. While this was for a <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/weve-smashed-another-speed-record/">data call</a>, as opposed to wifi access, these results are positive and on par with what Apple is promising for new iPhone 12 users in the US (but not <a href="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2020/10/13/21515128/iphone-12-mini-pro-max-mmwave-5g-antenna-window">yet</a> the UK). </p>
<p>Telstra claims it already has live mobile sites that can support millimetre-wave frequencies on its network, ready for deployment. It says it has spent the past 18 months laying the foundations for a millimetre-wave 5G <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/weve-smashed-another-speed-record/">network</a> to come into use once the frequencies become available.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Apple iPhone 12 promo photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363596/original/file-20201015-23-mdloc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Apple’s iPhone 12 allows super-fast 5G capability, but so far only in the US.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>We’re letting ourselves down</h2>
<p>In today’s age, compounded by a global pandemic and severe economic downturns the world over, it matters whether or not a nation has millimetre-wave 5G. </p>
<p>This technology has been available in the US <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/09/what-is-5g-heres-what-verizon-att-sprint-and-t-mobile-offer.html">since 2019</a> and its adoption is separating the world’s trailblazers from those trailing behind.</p>
<p>Millimetre-wave frequencies are important for advanced <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308274354_Industrial_wireless_communications_over_the_millimeter_wave_spectrum_Opportunities_and_challenges">manufacturing</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/millimeter-wave">processes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/robot-take-the-wheel-waymo-has-launched-a-self-driving-taxi-service-147908">self-driving vehicles</a>, factory automation and reliable <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/millimeter-wave">communications</a> across hospitals and the (now heavily remotely-operated) educational sector. These are just some areas in which high data capacity is a necessity. </p>
<p>Once millimetre wave-enabled industrial applications are rolled out, we should see customers in high-density public places prioritised for such services, before this trickles down to individuals at home. A focus on boosting business will likely underpin this sequence. </p>
<p>Australia wants to upscale its emerging technologies, research and <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/manufacturing-vision-drives-scott-morrisons-blueprint-for-future/news-story/a877d47e2e39768e48fdc5de15f52765">manufacturing</a> capacity, with a focus on the COVID-19 bounce back. But to do this, we’ll need an even speedier resolution than under normal circumstances. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-5g-the-next-generation-of-wireless-explained-96165">What is 5G? The next generation of wireless, explained</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148102/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stanley Shanapinda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Next year’s ‘spectrum auction’ will give telcos a chance to bid for access to high speed, millimetre-wave 5G. But big businesses are likely to be prioritised, not you.Stanley Shanapinda, Research Fellow, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448102020-09-02T17:50:52Z2020-09-02T17:50:52ZCan Huawei survive the US sanctions?<p>“A deadly blow to the Chinese tech champion” is how <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/tech/huawei-us-sanctions-hnk-intl/index.html">CNN described</a> the sanctions announced on August 17 by the US Commerce Department. They will restrict any foreign semiconductor company from selling chips developed or produced using US software or technology to Huawei.</p>
<p>Developing countries such as <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Huawei-5G-dominance-threatened-in-Southeast-Asia">India and Vietnam</a> have already followed suit. In Europe, Huawei may be excluded from the 5G market as well. On the services front, <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/huawei-ban-full-timeline-us-restrictions-china-trump-executive-order-commerce-dept/">Google licences are also now compromised</a> and other applications may not be renewed.</p>
<p>Cutting off major tech Chinese companies from the US market, including <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/08/07/why-is-the-trump-administration-banning-tiktok-and-wechat/">TikTok and WeChat</a>, comes at a time of rising diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing. But why Huawei and why now? And given the tough sanctions, can the company continue thrive?</p>
<h2>Trade wars</h2>
<p>The 2017 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf">“National Security Strategy of the USA”</a> report cites China as a “strategic competitor” <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-wrong-with-huawei-and-why-are-countries-banning-the-chinese-telecommunications-firm-109036">threatening</a> the power, influence and security of the United States. The report also mentions Russia.</p>
<p>Since 2015, China has invested heavily in cutting-edge technologies under the <a href="https://merics.org/en/report/made-china-2025">“Made in China 2025” label</a>. Among targeted sectors were IT, space and robotics. Washington characterized the push as an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FINAL-China-Technology-Report-6.18.18-PDF.pdf">“economic aggression”</a> and a potential threat regarding security and intellectual property. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/winners-and-losers-in-the-us-china-trade-war-119320">US-China trade war</a> began in March 2018, with significant increases in US tariffs on Chinese products such as steel. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://republicans-intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documents/Huawei-ZTE%20Investigative%20Report%20%28FINAL%29.pdf">US Congress Intelligence Committee</a> has had an eye on Huawei and its leaders since 2003. US authorities have long been concerned by allegations of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/06/huaweis-difficult-history-with-us-government.html">intellectual property theft</a> and other international violations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353576/original/file-20200819-25043-yi9z5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Huawei-US ban timeline (2017-2020).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">J.-P. Larcon</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On December 1, 2018, Ms. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of the company’s founder, was arrested in Vancouver at the request of a US court.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Huawei, Meng Wanzhou leaves Vancouver court on May 27" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353381/original/file-20200818-24-1lo7lc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Huawei, Meng Wanzhou leaves Vancouver on May 27.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Don Mackinnon/AFP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The company was alleged to have violated <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-Meng-BCSC.pdf">US sanctions against Iran</a> by selling it telecom equipment through its subsidiary Skycom. Wanzhou is currently <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/huawei-cfo-meng-wanzhou-to-push-for-release-of-classified-documents-in-canada-court/articleshow/77590142.cms">fighting extradition</a> to the United States while under house arrest in Vancouver.</p>
<h2>The EU safety net</h2>
<p>Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States – the <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/united-kingdoms-policy-u-turn-huawei">“Five Eyes” intelligence alliance</a> – are also expected to impose restrictive economic measures on Huawei. The EU stated that rather than an absolute embargo, it would develop a set of a <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/cybersecurity-5g-networks-eu-toolbox-risk-mitigating-measures">“tool box”</a> of precise technical measures that will ensure a steady secure deployment of 5G networks.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/meeting_the_challenge_of_secondary_sanctions%20%22%22">consequences of the American sanctions</a> extend to foreign companies using US hardware or software. This means that they too have now lost access to the 5G market, not only in the United States but in other parts of the world as well.</p>
<h2>What can Huawei do?</h2>
<p>In the aftermath of the May 2019 embargo decision, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said that to ensure its survival, the company need to put itself in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-tech-founder/huawei-founder-details-battle-mode-reform-plan-to-beat-u-s-crisis-idUSKCN1VA0Z0">battle mode</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nl2jCWDwE8w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A May 2019 Time interview with Ren Zhengfei, then Huawei CEO.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ms. He Tingbo, president of HiSilicon, the semiconductor subsidiary of Huawei, suggested another scenario – the beginning of a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-huawei-tech-hisilicon/update-1-huaweis-hisilicon-says-it-has-long-been-preparing-for-us-ban-scenario-idUSL4N22T0J0">“Long March”</a> to make the firm independent of US technology.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353587/original/file-20200819-16-1kb3rfu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Largest semiconductor companies in the world by revenue in 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JP Larcon</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Huawei first negotiated with its US and international suppliers to secure as many short-term transactions as possible not yet covered by the embargo. It also turned to suppliers such as Samsung, its Korean competitor in smartphones, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). SMIC, based in Shanghai, is thus driven to rapidly increase its investments in the high-end market.</p>
<h2>Huawei needs to expand its network</h2>
<p>Huawei has so far tried to retain its competitiveness. But its recently launched Huawei AppGallery – which works with its <a href="https://consumer.huawei.com/en/phones/p40/">P40 smartphones</a> – does not include popular applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or WhatsApp.</p>
<p>In August 2020, Huawei lost its <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/14/huawei-temporary-general-license-expires/">“Android temporary licence”</a>. To mitigate the loss, the company is counting on application developers who are attracted by <a href="https://consumer.huawei.com/ae-en/community/details/HMS-ecosystem-reaches-700-million-global-devices%2C-registered-developers-jumps-to-16-million/topicId_112244/">Huawei’s 700 million</a> smartphone customers. Adidas, Booking, Deliveroo, Deezer JD Sports, Ryanair, Trainline, Opera, Viber, and of course TikTok have become regular Huawei clients.</p>
<p>But more developers could come. To attract them, Huawei – which is the fifth-largest investor in terms of R&D – will have to develop its own innovation capacities.</p>
<h2>Building on its people</h2>
<p>Huawei also relies on its employees’ motivation. The company has been a private firm since its inception and is completely owned by its employees through a shareholding system called the <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/esop.asp">employee stock ownership plan</a> (ESOP) similar to those in the United States and the UK. </p>
<p>Of the more than <a href="https://www.huawei.com/en/corporate-information">194,000 people working for Huawei</a>, approximately 100,000 receive <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/09/huawei-a-case-study-of-when-profit-sharing-works">virtual stock options</a> based on their performance. The value of the shares is calculated on the net asset value of the firm and can represent substantial amounts compared to the base salary.</p>
<p>Good customer services and warm B2B relationships with phone providers throughout the world could also help the firm navigate this sensitive geopolitical context.</p>
<h2>Opportunities and uncertainties</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.london.edu/think/lessons-from-huawei-when-chinese-companies-go-global">Huawei’s global strategy</a> in 2018 and 2019 has enabled the company to grow steadily in the 5G market in China and countries such as Russia, Turkey, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.</p>
<p>The company has developed new products to remain competitive against Samsung or Apple and has also diversified its business. In 2019 it launched a new generation of chips for its own computer servers and those of its customers. The <a href="https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2019/8/huawei-ascend-910-most-powerful-ai-processor">Ascend 910 chip</a> is dedicated to the calculations of artificial intelligence algorithms in data centres.</p>
<p>The firm also expanded in connected cars. Huawei works with major Chinese manufacturers including FAW, SAIC and Dongfeng Motors.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353584/original/file-20200819-25336-28jv8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Huawei turnover according regions and sectors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">J.-P. Larcon</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the French group PSA, which has also worked with Huawei since 2017, said in March 2020 that it could <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autoshow-geneva-huawei-tech/peugeot-ready-to-adjust-huawei-partnership-if-us-demands-idUSKBN20Q22U">reconsider its position</a> if the United States made it a prerequisite for the merger with Fiat Chrysler.</p>
<p>In coming weeks, the escalation between the US and China may lead to strategic negotiations and eventually a <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/14/china-us-pandemic-economy-tensions-trump-coronavirus-covid-new-cold-war-economics-the-great-decoupling/$">radical economical breakup</a>, in which companies such as Huawei may become either leverage or bait.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean-Paul Michel Larçon ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Sanctions against Huawei by the US Commerce department have been followed by other countries. How can the company’s business thrive with so few avenues left?Jean-Paul Michel Larçon, Emeritus Professor Strategy and International Business, HEC Paris Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448652020-08-24T20:04:35Z2020-08-24T20:04:35ZWhy QAnon is attracting so many followers in Australia — and how it can be countered<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354296/original/file-20200824-20-13kz8zs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">SCOTT BARBOUR/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On September 5, a coalition of online groups are planning an Australia-wide action called the “<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8649345/Angry-Melburnians-threatening-revolution-par-Eureka-Stockade.html">Day of Freedom</a>”. The organisers claim hundreds of thousands will join them on the streets in defiance of restrictions on group gatherings and mask-wearing mandates.</p>
<p>Some online supporters believe Stage 5 lockdown will be introduced in Melbourne the following week and the “Day of Freedom” is the last chance for Australians to stand up to an increasingly tyrannical government.</p>
<p>The action is the latest in a series of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/10/ten-arrested-and-police-officer-injured-at-protest-against-victorias-covid-19-lockdown-laws">protests</a> in Australia against the government’s COVID-19 restrictions. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/living-people-who-are-the-sovereign-citizens-or-sovcits-and-why-do-they-believe-they-have-immunity-from-the-law-143438">main issues</a> brought up during these protests centre around 5G, government surveillance, freedom of movement and, of course, <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-anti-vaxxers-arent-a-huge-threat-yet-how-do-we-keep-it-that-way-138531">vaccinations</a>.</p>
<p>And one general conspiracy theory now unites these disparate groups — QAnon. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/qanon-believers-will-likely-outlast-and-outsmart-twitters-bans-143192">QAnon believers will likely outlast and outsmart Twitter’s bans</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why QAnon has exploded in popularity globally</h2>
<p>Since its inception in the US in late 2017, QAnon has morphed beyond a specific, unfounded claim about President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/29/18286890/qanon-mueller-report-barr-trump-conspiracy-theories">working with</a> special counsel Robert Mueller to expose a paedophile ring supposedly run by Bill and Hillary Clinton and the “deep state”. Now, it is an all-encompassing world of conspiracies. </p>
<p>QAnon conspiracy theories now include such wild claims as Microsoft founder Bill Gates <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/52847648">using coronavirus as a cover</a> to implant microchips in people, to governments <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-03/5g-conspiracy-theory-investigation-coronavirus-health/12507368">erecting 5G towers</a> during lockdown to surveil the population.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354299/original/file-20200824-22-117ccvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Donald Trump has tacitly endorsed QAnon, saying its followers</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leah Millis/Reuters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Last week, Facebook <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/addressing-movements-and-organizations-tied-to-violence/">deleted</a> over 790 groups, 100 pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon and restricted the accounts of hundreds of other Facebook groups and thousands of Instagram accounts. QAnon-related newsfeed rankings and search results were also downgraded. </p>
<p>Facebook is aiming to reduce the organising ability of the QAnon community, but so far such crackdowns seem to have had little effect on the spread of misinformation. </p>
<p>In July, Twitter <a href="https://theconversation.com/qanon-believers-will-likely-outlast-and-outsmart-twitters-bans-143192">removed 7,000 accounts</a>, but the QAnon conspiracy has become even more widespread since then. A series of global <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-looms-behind-nationwide-rallies-viral-hashtags-n1237722">“save the children” protests</a> in the last few weeks is proof of how resilient and adaptable the community is.</p>
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<h2>Why Australians are turning to QAnon in large numbers</h2>
<p>QAnon encourages people to look for evidence of conspiracies in the media and in government actions. Looking back over the last several years, we can see a range of events or conspiracy theories that have helped QAnon appeal to increasing numbers of followers in Australia.</p>
<p>1) <strong>Conspiracies about global governance</strong></p>
<p>In 2015, Senator Malcolm Roberts <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/14/agenda-21-is-conspiracy-theory-but-dont-dismiss-malcolm-roberts-as-a-harmless-kook">claimed</a> the UN’s 1992 <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/outcomedocuments/agenda21">“Agenda 21” plan</a> for sustainable development as a foreign global plan aimed at depriving nations of their sovereignty and citizens of their property rights. </p>
<p>The belief that “Agenda 21” is a blueprint for corrupt global governance has become a core tenet of QAnon in Australia.</p>
<p>Any talk of “global bankers and cabals” directly taps into longstanding anti-Semitic conspiracies about supposed Jewish world domination often centred on the figure of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-49584157">billionaire George Soros</a>. The pandemic and QAnon have also proven to be fertile ground for <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/why-australian-white-supremacists-and-neo-nazis-are-delighted-with-the-coronavirus-outbreak">neo-Nazis in Australia</a>.</p>
<p>2) <strong>Impact of the far-right social media</strong></p>
<p>QAnon has its roots on the far-right bulletin boards of the websites <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/d3nbzy/we-analyzed-more-than-1-million-comments-on-4chan-hate-speech-there-has-spiked-by-40-since-2015">4Chan</a> and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-weird-dark-history-8chan/">8Chan</a>. Other campaigns from the same sources, such as the “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-17/origins-of-its-ok-to-be-white-slogan-supremacists-united-states/10385716">It’s OK to be White</a>” motion led by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson in the Senate, have been remarkably successful in Australia, showing our susceptibility to viral trolling efforts.</p>
<p>3) <strong>Perceived paedophiles in power</strong></p>
<p>During the <a href="https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse</a>, Senator Bill Heffernan tried unsuccessfully to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-senator-bill-heffernan-says-former-prime-minister-a-suspected-paedophile-20151020-gke2o0.html">submit the names</a> of 28 prominent Australians which he alleged were paedophiles. </p>
<p>His failure is widely shared in QAnon circles as proof of a cover-up of child abuse at all levels of Australian government. The belief the country is run by a corrupt paedophile cabal is the most fundamental plank of the QAnon platform.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354303/original/file-20200824-24-oxhvfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Among the QAnon conspiracy theories in the US is that Hollywood actors have engaged in crimes against children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>4) <strong>Increasingly ‘unaccountable and incompetent’ governments</strong></p>
<p>A number of recent events have eroded public trust in government — from the “<a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/government-exposed-in-sports-rorts-fallout-20200305-p547bf">sports rorts affair</a>” to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-bernard-collaerys-case-is-one-of-the-gravest-threats-to-freedom-of-expression-122463">Witness K case</a> — and all serve to further fuel the QAnon suspicion of authority figures.</p>
<p>5) <strong>Longstanding alternative health lobbies</strong></p>
<p>Australia’s sizeable <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-anti-vaxxers-arent-a-huge-threat-yet-how-do-we-keep-it-that-way-138531">anti-vax movement</a> has found great support in the QAnon community. Fear about mandatory vaccinations is widespread, as is a distrust of “big pharma”. </p>
<p>Also, the continuing roll-out of 5G technology throughout the pandemic has confirmed the belief among QAnon followers that there are ulterior motives for the lockdown. Wellness influencers such as celebrity chef Pete Evans have <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/cameronwilson/pete-evans-qanon-conspiracy-instagram">amplified these messages</a> to their millions of followers.</p>
<p>6) <strong>The ‘plandemic’ and weaponising of COVID-19</strong></p>
<p>In the QAnon world, debates about the origin of the coronavirus, death rates, definition of cases, testing protocols and possible treatments are underpinned by a belief that governments are covering up the truth. Many believe the virus isn’t real or deadly, or it was deliberately introduced to hasten government control of populations.</p>
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<h2>Understanding QAnon followers</h2>
<p>Understanding why people become part of these movements is the key to stopping the spread of the QAnon virus. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2015.1051375">Research</a> into extremist groups shows four elements are important: </p>
<p>1) <strong>Real or perceived personal and collective grievances</strong> </p>
<p>This year, some of these grievances have been linked directly to the pandemic: government lockdown restrictions, a loss of income, fear about the future and disruption of plans such as travel. </p>
<p>2) <strong>Networks and personal ties</strong></p>
<p>Social media has given people the ability to find others with similar grievances or beliefs, to share doubts and concerns and to learn about connecting theories and explanations for what may be troubling them. </p>
<p>3) <strong>Political and religious ideologies</strong> </p>
<p>QAnon is very hierarchically structured, similar to evangelical Christianity. QAnon followers join a select group of truth seekers who are following the “light” and have a duty to wake up the “sheeple”. Like some religions, the QAnon world is welcoming to all and provides a strong sense of community united by a noble purpose and hope for a better future.</p>
<p>4) <strong>Enabling environments and support structures</strong> </p>
<p>In the QAnon world, spending many hours on social media is valued as doing “research” and seen as an antidote to the so-called fake news of the mainstream media. </p>
<p>Social isolation, a barrage of changing and confusing pandemic news and obliging social media platforms have been a boon for QAnon groups. However, simply banning or deleting groups runs the danger of confirming the beliefs of QAnon followers.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-misinformation-about-5g-is-spreading-within-our-government-institutions-and-whos-responsible-139304">How misinformation about 5G is spreading within our government institutions – and who's responsible</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>So what can be done?</h2>
<p>Governments need to be more sensitive in their messaging and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-21/coronavirus-vaccine-mandatory-political-fallout/12580172">avoid triggering panic</a> around sensitive issues such as mandatory or forced vaccinations. Transparency about government actions, policies and mistakes all help to build trust. </p>
<p>Governments also need to ensure they are providing enough resources to support people during this challenging time, particularly when it comes to mental and emotional well-being. Resourcing community-building to counter isolation is vital.</p>
<p>For families and friends, losing a loved one “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-08-24/how-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-is-affecting-australian-families/12564566">down the Q rabbit hole</a>” is distressing. Research shows that <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-people-believe-in-conspiracy-theories-and-how-to-change-their-minds-82514">arguing over facts and myths doesn’t work</a>. </p>
<p>Like many conspiracy theories, there are elements of truth in QAnon. Empathy and compassion, rather than ridicule and ostracism, are the keys to remaining connected to the Q follower in your life. Hopefully, with time, they’ll come back.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144865/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaz Ross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>QAnon is gaining ground in Australia due to a growing distrust in the government and media, part of which is rooted in a perceived lack of transparency over the coronavirus response and restrictions.Kaz Ross, Lecturer in Humanities (Asian Studies), University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1434382020-07-28T01:22:47Z2020-07-28T01:22:47Z‘Living people’: who are the sovereign citizens, or SovCits, and why do they believe they have immunity from the law?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349556/original/file-20200727-37-14amkg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C6006%2C3983&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You might have seen articles or comments on social media lately alluding to “<a href="https://scholarship.law.umt.edu/mlr/vol80/iss2/2/">sovereign citizens</a>”, or “SovCits” for short, with some <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3082883/im-sovereign-singapore-woman-who-refused-wear-face-mask">reports</a> suggesting COVID-19 government restrictions have driven a <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12332420">surge of interest</a> in this movement.</p>
<p>So, who are these self-styled sovereign citizens, and what do they believe?</p>
<p>Sovereign citizens are concerned with the legal framework of society. They <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2019.00076/full">believe</a> all people are born free with rights — but that these natural rights are being constrained by corporations (and they see governments as artificial corporations). They believe citizens are in an <a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/rule-law/immune-law">oppressive contract with the government</a>.</p>
<p>SovCits <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3082883/im-sovereign-singapore-woman-who-refused-wear-face-mask">reportedly</a> believe that by declaring themselves “living people” or “natural people”, they can break this oppressive contract and avoid restrictions such as certain rates, taxes, and fines — or particular government rules on mandatory mask-wearing.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1287661590603390981"}"></div></p>
<p>The SovCit movement <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-movement">arose in America</a> decades ago, with roots in the American patriot movement, some religious communities, and tax protest groups. It has also been known as the “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/the-seriously-weird-beliefs-of-freemen-on-the-land/news-story/cd91441f8f406a48457d5450b0a264f9">free-man</a>” movement.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/alt-right-white-extremism-or-conservative-mobilising-what-are-cpacs-aims-in-australia-121495">'Alt-right white extremism' or conservative mobilising: what are CPAC's aims in Australia?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Re-interpreting the law</h2>
<p>SovCits see themselves as sovereign and not bound by the laws of the country in which they physically live. Accepting a law or regulations means they have waived their rights as a sovereign and have accepted a contract with the government, according to SovCit belief.</p>
<p>The SovCit movement doesn’t have a single leader, central doctrine or centralised collection of documents. It is based on their <a href="https://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/www.sog.unc.edu/files/Sov%20citizens%20quick%20guide%20Nov%2013.pdf">reinterpretation of the law</a> and there are many <a href="https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Sovereign-Citizen-Documentary-Identifiers.pdf">legal document templates</a> on the internet for SovCit use to, for example, avoid paying fines or rates they see as unfair.</p>
<p>SovCits tend not to follow conventional legal argument. Some have engaged in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-30/australias-sovereign-citizen-terrorism-threat/6981114#:%7E:text=Australian%20sovereign%20citizen%20faced%20court,the%20system%20for%2020%20years.">repeated court action</a> and even been declared vexatious litigants by the courts.</p>
<p>The SovCit movement has many local variations but there are some key commonalities across the Australian SovCit movement.</p>
<h2>Key beliefs and phrases</h2>
<p>A central belief, according to news <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2018/05/15/meet-group-thinks-giving-government-finger-will-unlock-endless-free-money">reports</a>, is that the Australian government, the police, and other government agencies are corporations. Believers feel they must be on guard to avoid entering into a contract with the corporation. They often do this by stating, “<a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/30/sovereign-citizen-case-air-marshals-bizarre-challenge-to-watercraft-ticket/">I do not consent</a>” and trying to get the police officer or official to recognise them as a “<a href="https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/surviving-next-sovereign-citizen/">living</a>” or “natural” being and therefore as a sovereign. </p>
<p>SovCits are often careful to avoid showing ID such as driver’s licences or giving their name and address. Saying “I understand” also risks being seen to agree to the contract so SovCits will repeat the phrase “<a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/sovereign-citizen-thomas-benson-indicted-ordered-to-prison/">I comprehend</a>” to show they are refusing the contract.</p>
<p>Many reject their country’s constitution as false and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jjmacnab/2012/02/13/what-is-a-sovereign-citizen/#6b821bc16012">reportedly</a> refer to the Magna Carta of 1215 as the only true legal document constraining arbitrary power.</p>
<p>SovCits often come to the attention of authorities due to driving offences. It is a core belief of the movement that “sovereigns” have the <a href="https://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/5-responses-to-a-sovereign-citizen-at-a-traffic-stop-FZ4ruThuMxTHVgEO/">right to travel freely</a> without the need for a drivers licence, vehicle registration, or insurance.</p>
<p>Until COVID-19, the main threat seems to have been in committing road offences. More recently, actions protesting measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 have been <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8562525/Coronavirus-anti-maskers-gather-Melbourne-gym-discuss-manifesto-Bunnings-Karen.html">linked</a> to the sovereign citizen movement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143438/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaz Ross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sovereign citizens believe citizens are in an oppressive contract with the government, but that by declaring themselves ‘living’ or ‘natural’ people, they avoid being bound by certain rules or laws.Kaz Ross, Lecturer in Humanities (Asian Studies), University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1393042020-07-13T06:37:22Z2020-07-13T06:37:22ZHow misinformation about 5G is spreading within our government institutions – and who’s responsible<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347042/original/file-20200713-50-5aaziy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=405%2C137%2C4751%2C3673&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aris Oikonomou/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Fake news” is not just a problem of misleading or false claims on fringe websites, it is increasingly filtering into the mainstream and has the potential to be deeply destructive. </p>
<p>My recent analysis of more than 500 public submissions to a <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/5G">parliamentary committee on the launch of 5G</a> in Australia shows just how pervasive misinformation campaigns have become at the highest levels of government. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/13/australian-publics-confidence-in-5g-shaken-by-misinformation-campaign">A significant number of the submissions</a> peddled inaccurate claims about the health effects of 5G.</p>
<p>These falsehoods were prominent enough the committee felt compelled to address the issue in its <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportrep/024373/toc_pdf/TheNextGenFuture.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">final report</a>. The report noted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>community confidence in 5G has been shaken by extensive misinformation
preying on the fears of the public spread via the internet, and presented as facts, particularly through social media. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a remarkable situation for Australian public policy – it is not common for a parliamentary inquiry to have to rebut the dodgy scientific claims it receives in the form of public submissions. </p>
<p>While many Australians might dismiss these claims as fringe conspiracy theories, the reach of this misinformation matters. If enough people act on the basis of these claims, it can cause harm to the wider public. </p>
<p>In late May, for example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/30/australian-anti-vaxxers-label-covid-19-a-scam-and-break-distancing-rules-at-anti-5g-protests">protests against 5G, vaccines and COVID-19 restrictions</a> were held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Some protesters claimed 5G was causing COVID-19 and the pandemic was a hoax – a “<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-plandemic-and-the-seven-traits-of-conspiratorial-thinking-138483">plandemic</a>” – perpetuated to enslave and subjugate the people to the state. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-plandemic-and-the-seven-traits-of-conspiratorial-thinking-138483">Coronavirus, 'Plandemic' and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Misinformation can also lead to violence. Last year, the FBI for the first time <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories-terrorism-160000507.html">identified conspiracy theory-driven extremists</a> as a terrorism threat.</p>
<p>Conspiracy theories that 5G causes autism, cancer and COVID-19 have also <a href="https://www.cnet.com/health/5g-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-sees-77-mobile-towers-burned-report-says/">led to widespread arson attacks</a> in the UK and Canada, along with verbal and physical attacks on employees of telecommunication companies. </p>
<h2>The source of conspiracy messaging</h2>
<p>To better understand the nature and origins of the misinformation campaigns against 5G in Australia, I examined the 530 submissions posted online to the parliament’s <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/5G/Submissions">standing committee on communications and the arts</a>.</p>
<p>The majority of submissions were from private citizens. A sizeable number, however, made claims about the health effects of 5G, parroting language from well-known conspiracy theory websites. </p>
<p>A perceived lack of “consent” (for example, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=8e772d4d-b60a-4faf-a697-0135e793a802&subId=671075">here</a>, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=8e772d4d-b60a-4faf-a697-0135e793a802&subId=671075">here</a> and <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=a925f275-d334-4e69-b0d2-f5326c0fce76&subId=671077">here</a>) about the planned 5G roll-out featured prominently in these submissions. <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=d97a93b9-c8b5-4674-b9a0-98c626f2f924&subId=671635">One person</a> argued she did not agree to allow 5G to be “delivered directly into” the home and “radiate” her family.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-5g-radiation-doesnt-cause-or-spread-the-coronavirus-saying-it-does-is-destructive-135695">No, 5G radiation doesn't cause or spread the coronavirus. Saying it does is destructive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To connect sentiments like this to conspiracy groups, I looked at two well-known conspiracy sites that have been identified as promoting narratives <a href="http://www.propornot.com/p/the-list.html">consistent with Russian misinformation operations</a> – the <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/">Centre for Research on Globalization</a> (CRG) and <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com">Zero Hedge</a>. </p>
<p>CRG is an organisation founded and directed by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200403231437/https://www.globalresearch.ca/contact-2">Michel Chossudovsky, a former professor at the University of Ottawa</a> and opinion writer for <a href="https://www.rt.com/op-ed/authors/michel-chossudovsky/">Russia Today</a>. </p>
<p>CRG has been <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171117193837/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadian-website-in-natos-sights-for-spreading-disinformation/article37015521/">flagged by NATO intelligence</a> as part of wider efforts to undermine trust in “government and public institutions” in North America and Europe. </p>
<p>Zero Hedge, which is <a href="https://viewdns.info/whois/?domain=zerohedge.com">registered in Bulgaria</a>, <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/156788/zero-hedge-russian-trojan-horse">attracts millions of readers every month</a> and ranks among the <a href="https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/zerohedge.com#section_traffic">top 500</a> sites visited in the US. Most stories are geared toward an American audience. </p>
<p>Researchers at Rand have <a href="https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR2200/RR2237/RAND_RR2237.pdf">connected Zero Hedge</a> with online influencers and other media sites known for advancing pro-Kremlin narratives, such as the claim that Ukraine, and not Russia, is to blame for the <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-01/mh17-turnabout-ukraines-guilt-now-proven">downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347046/original/file-20200713-18-1fb832y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters targeting the coronavirus lockdown and 5G in Melbourne in May.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Barbour/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How it was used in parliamentary submissions</h2>
<p>For my research, I scoured the top posts circulated by these groups on Facebook for false claims about the health threats posed by 5G. Some stories I found had headlines like “<a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/5g-danger-13-reasons-5g-wireless-technology-will-be-a-catastrophe-for-humanity/5680503">13 Reasons 5G Wireless Technology will be a Catastrophe for Humanity</a>” and “<a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-20/5g-danger-100s-respected-scientists-sound-alarm-about-health-effects-5g-networks-go">Hundreds of Respected Scientists Sound Alarm about Health Effects as 5G Networks go Global</a>”. </p>
<p>I then tracked the diffusion of these stories on Facebook and identified 10 public groups where they were posted. Two of the groups specifically targeted Australians – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/Stop5GAustralia">Australians for Safe Technology</a>, a group with 48,000 members, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2430403090357235/permalink/3171327972931406">Australia Uncensored</a>. Many others, such as the popular right-wing conspiracy group <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/03/us/what-is-qanon-trnd/index.html">QAnon</a>, also contained posts about the 5G debate in Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/conspiracy-theories-about-5g-networks-have-skyrocketed-since-covid-19-139374">Conspiracy theories about 5G networks have skyrocketed since COVID-19</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To determine the similarities in phrasing between the articles posted on these Facebook groups and submissions to the Australian parliamentary committee, I used the same technique to detect similarities in texts that is commonly used to <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1412.7782.pdf">detect plagiarism</a> in student papers. </p>
<p>The analysis rates similarities in documents on a scale of 0 (entirely dissimilar) to 1 (exactly alike). There were 38 submissions with at least a 0.5 similarity to posts in the Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/5Gdanger/about">5G Network, Microwave Radiation Dangers and other Health Problems</a> and 35 with a 0.5 similarity to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/Stop5GAustralia/about">Australians for Safe Technology</a> group. </p>
<p>This is significant because it means that for these 73 submissions, 50% of the language was, word for word, exactly the same as the posts from extreme conspiracy groups on Facebook.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347049/original/file-20200713-46-e988pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The first 5G Optus tower in the suburb of Dickson in Canberra.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The impact of misinformation on policy-making</h2>
<p>The process for soliciting submissions to a parliamentary inquiry is an important part of our democracy. In theory, it provides ordinary citizens and organisations with a voice in forming policy. </p>
<p>My findings suggest Facebook conspiracy groups and potentially other conspiracy sites are attempting to co-opt this process to directly influence the way Australians think about 5G. </p>
<p>In the pre-internet age, misinformation campaigns often had <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol53no4/pdf/U-%20Boghardt-AIDS-Made%20in%20the%20USA-17Dec.pdf">limited reach and took a significant amount of time to spread</a>. They typically required the production of falsified documents and a sympathetic media outlet. Mainstream news would usually ignore such stories and few people would ever read them. </p>
<p>Today, however, one only needs to create a false social media account and a meme. Misinformation can <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=U3XgDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&ots=1tR1EFeNzc&sig=6Ajc0qRtBsfGr-NojQVfPeDn26s&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">spread quickly</a> if it is amplified through online trolls and bots. </p>
<p>It can also spread quickly on Facebook, with its <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-it-encourages-division-top-executives-nixed-solutions-11590507499">algorithm designed to drive</a> ordinary users to extremist groups and pages by exploiting their attraction to divisive content. </p>
<p>And once this manipulative content has been widely disseminated, countering it is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. </p>
<p>Misinformation has the potential to undermine faith in governments and institutions and make it more challenging for authorities to make demonstrable improvements in public life. This is why governments need to be more proactive in effectively communicating technical and scientific information, like details about 5G, to the public. </p>
<p>Just as nature abhors a vacuum, a public sphere without trusted voices quickly becomes filled with misinformation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139304/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Jensen has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group.</span></em></p>New analysis of 500 public submissions to a parliamentary inquiry shows just how prevalent conspiracy theories on 5G have become.Michael Jensen, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1421582020-07-07T19:53:17Z2020-07-07T19:53:17ZHuawei’s window of opportunity closes: how geopolitics triumphed over technology<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346001/original/file-20200707-194418-4pddc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=970%2C251%2C3025%2C1341&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sipa USA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the United Kingdom completed its <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819469/CCS001_CCS0719559014-001_Telecoms_Security_and_Resilience_Accessible.pdf">telecom supply chain review</a> last year it gave a green light to Huawei by concluding that nationality-based bans did nothing to improve network security and could actually harm it by weakening competition. Executives at Huawei celebrated what they saw as a victory for evidence-based decision-making. </p>
<p>The decision also seemed to vindicate the many critics of Australia’s <a href="https://ecipe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TSSR-final.pdf">telecom sector security review</a>, which the previous year reached exactly the opposite conclusion and decided to ban Huawei (and any other Chinese companies) from supplying equipment for use in Australia’s 5G mobile rollout. </p>
<p>Even the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/uk-grants-huawei-a-limited-role-in-5g/11908398">compromise</a> that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government announced at the end of January 2020, to exclude Huawei from the “core” of the 5G network and from sensitive areas such as military installations, but to otherwise allow it to have an up to 35% market share, was an outcome the firm could live with. </p>
<h2>Huawei’s last big hope had been the UK</h2>
<p>The decision reportedly caused <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a70f9506-48f1-11ea-aee2-9ddbdc86190d">outrage</a> in the Trump White House, and left a number of Conservative Party back-benchers seething. </p>
<p>Since then, Johnson has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/22/boris-johnson-forced-to-reduce-huaweis-role-in-uks-5g-networks">backtracked</a>, and on Monday appeared to close the door on Huawei saying he was determined the UK should not be “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/huawei-5g-uk/2020/07/06/7477b862-bf8e-11ea-8908-68a2b9eae9e0_story.html">in any way vulnerable to a high-risk state vendor</a>”.</p>
<p>It follows intense pressure from the US Department of Commerce which has announced plans to bar Huawei and its suppliers from using any <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/business/economy/commerce-department-huawei.html">American technology or software</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-global-battle-over-huawei-could-prove-more-disruptive-than-trumps-trade-war-with-china-131828">Why the global battle over Huawei could prove more disruptive than Trump's trade war with China</a>
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<p>Britain’s <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/6/21314340/huawei-5g-networks-security-risk-us-uk">National Cyber Security Centre</a> has increased the pressure, urging that Huawei equipment be removed from the country’s networks on the grounds that the new US restrictions will force it to resort to “untrusted” technology solutions. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/how-the-us-steamrolled-chinese-tech-giant-out-of-five-eyes-20200706-p559fa.html">Sydney Morning Herald</a> reported on Monday that Huawei had “lost the anglosphere”.</p>
<p>Recent reports indicate that France, which had also opted for a compromise by restricting Huawei from the core of its network and from Paris, but allowing it in the rest of the country, is now considering <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/506063-france-to-encourage-telecom-groups-to-avoid-huawei-products-but-not-ban">a multi-year phase out</a> of all Huawei equipment.</p>
<h2>It may have lost the West</h2>
<p>It remains to be seen how this plays out in a number of other key European countries, such as Belgium, where Huawei has more than 70% of the market in some areas, as well as Germany, which until now has been adamant it <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/506063-france-to-encourage-telecom-groups-to-avoid-huawei-products-but-not-ban">won’t ban</a> Chinese suppliers. </p>
<p>The company faces something of a <a href="https://tfipost.com/2020/05/d10-can-destroy-huawei-5g-britain-wants-alliance-of-10-democracies-including-india-to-take-on-china/">united front</a> including each of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes">Five Eyes</a> countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as France and India, which has recently moved to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/29/india-bans-tiktok-dozens-of-other-chinese-apps/">ban</a> a whole slew of Chinese mobile apps including TikTok.</p>
<p>In some ways, it seems surprising given the fact that nobody, least of all the American security hawks have been able to adduce <a href="https://www.axios.com/huawei-china-security-britain-5g-evidence-d2a86be0-f8d0-4baa-a138-0be790599c50.html">any hard evidence</a> that Huawei represents a greater security risk than any other major supplier. </p>
<p>In other ways, it is less surprising given the Trump administration’s increasingly confrontational approach and China’s increasingly assertive push-back. Its June 30 decision to impose a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/30/885127007/china-enacts-security-law-asserting-control-over-hong-kong">new security law</a> on Hong Kong has only helped to further harden attitudes in the West, particularly the UK.</p>
<p>It was always going to be hard for Huawei to stay in Western markets.</p>
<h2>It was hard to please two masters</h2>
<p>Once it grew to the size it has enjoyed for about the last ten years, and once it took on the strategic importance that comes with being one of the world’s top suppliers of 5G network equipment, Huawei was inevitably going to find it difficult to please an increasingly nationalistic Chinese leadership while not alarming nervous governments in Western capitals. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346000/original/file-20200707-194409-ul0gdf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Huawei has a massive domestic customer base.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sipa USA</span></span>
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<p>In China it had to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the goals of the Communist Party leadership. Outside China it had to argue that it had little or nothing to do with the Chinese State. </p>
<p>Operators <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47482140">love Huawei</a> because it has consistently proven better than its competitors on price, tailored customer service and innovation. But it is governments that regulate telecommunications networks and that must take the big decisions on what companies will be admitted as suppliers.</p>
<p>For executives at Huawei there are no easy choices. </p>
<p>The size of its domestic market has given it the massive economies of scale it has needed to be competitive globally, so that it cannot jeopardise its position at home. </p>
<p>Its role in global markets has allowed it to innovate. </p>
<p>Most of its technological breakthroughs have been achieved through its many partnerships abroad. To walk away from these would weaken its market leadership.</p>
<h2>Looking inwards didn’t help</h2>
<p>Once the US-led campaign against Huawei began in earnest in 2018 it circled the wagons and centralised control of its external messaging and overseas representation in the hands of its longest-serving or most successful employees, all of whom were Chinese. </p>
<p>These were predominantly engineers by training and had no inclination to defend the company on any terms besides its track record as an equipment vendor and its cyber-security credentials (which from an industry perspective are pretty solid).</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/blocking-huawei-from-australia-means-slower-and-delayed-5g-and-for-what-117507">Blocking Huawei from Australia means slower and delayed 5G – and for what?</a>
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<p>Even if it had done something different back then, nothing would have helped it overcome the contradictions of trying to appear to be a loyal corporate citizen in China while at the same time claiming to be just another normal private-sector company abroad. </p>
<p>The limited space it has to operate is becoming increasingly narrow to the point where in many markets it is no longer able to appear to be both.</p>
<h2>Prepare for fragmentation</h2>
<p>Another important point worth bearing in mind is that Huawei is not alone in seeing its market access curtailed because of its country of origin. This has also long been happening to Western companies in China.</p>
<p>For many years, China has been trying to raise its level of <a href="https://jamesmcgregor-inc.com/books_wrapper/china-s-drive-for-indigenous-innovation/">indigenous innovation</a> making it <a href="https://www.bsa.org/files/reports/BSALockout2012.pdf">increasingly difficult</a> for foreign suppliers.</p>
<p>In December it reportedly decided to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/b55fc6ee-1787-11ea-8d73-6303645ac406">phase out</a> all foreign-owned software and hardware from Chinese government operated IT systems. </p>
<p>This means China has itself accepted the logic that the country of origin of a supplier matters for security and industry development.</p>
<p>It leaves us heading towards a world of increasing fragmentation and higher costs, with many arguing, in both China and the West, that this is the price we’ll have to pay for greater security.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/china-could-be-using-tiktok-to-spy-on-australians-but-banning-it-isnt-a-simple-fix-142157">China could be using TikTok to spy on Australians, but banning it isn’t a simple fix</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142158/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Lacey was formerly Vice-President Trade Facilitation and Market Access of Huawei Technologies, where he was responsible for managing trade and investment risks facing the company across a dozen of its most important markets.</span></em></p>Huawei is unlikely to supply 5G technology to any of the English-speaking democracies. Britain had been its last big hope.Simon Lacey, Senior Lecturer in International Trade, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1404482020-06-15T15:08:54Z2020-06-15T15:08:54ZAfrican countries need to seize opportunities created by US-China tensions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341189/original/file-20200611-80789-p6p9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The unfolding US-China power <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/24/china-raises-us-trade-tensions-with-warning-of-new-cold-war">rivalry</a>
bears a striking resemblance to the tensions between the US and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War years. Back then, African countries were positioned like pawns on a grand chessboard. Their social and economic progress was hampered because they expended energy aligning themselves with either of the superpowers in the battle for world supremacy <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/07/a-new-cold-war-has-begun/">between communism and capitalism</a>. </p>
<p>With notable exceptions, African states generally failed to exercise positive agency for their own development. They also eroded the institutional and governance foundations vital for economic success. </p>
<p>In the current context of rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China, African countries may find themselves repeating the same mistakes unless they proactively shape their own destinies.</p>
<p>The tensions between the two great powers, characterised by <a href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3078745/what-us-china-trade-war-how-it-started-and-what-inside-phase">a vicious trade war</a>, are deepening at a time when the world economy is under enormous strain due to COVID-19. At the same time African countries are facing their worst economic crises since independence. </p>
<p>Africa is institutionally under-prepared to weather the combined effects of the health pandemic and severe economic recession. Its leaders will need to consciously design strategies of engagement that will help them to manage the ongoing superpower tensions to their advantage. They should do so without taking sides. This requires that they deal with each of these great powers based on pragmatic – rather than ideological – choices. </p>
<p>Despite their institutional under-preparedness, African countries can – and indeed must – be highly strategic and tactical in how they respond to the US-China tensions. Failure to do so will inevitably mean sacrificing their own interests. </p>
<p>There are three arenas of challenges and opportunities for the African continent in the current geopolitical climate. The first involves technological frontiers, the second is global supply chains, and the third is trade integration and economic cooperation. </p>
<h2>New technological frontiers</h2>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/broughel-technological-innovation-mercatus-research-v1.pdf">overwhelming evidence</a> that technological innovation is the key driver of economic growth. Therefore, access to and exploitation of new technologies such as <a href="https://www.gsma.com/futurenetworks/ip_services/understanding-5g/">5G</a> is vital to Africa’s development. Fifth generation technologies are important options for a continent like Africa where mobile technology has leap-frogged more traditional technologies. </p>
<p>Access to technologies like 5G offers access to universal broadband, which is critical for the continent’s advance to a digital economy. </p>
<p>In May last year the US government put the Chinese firm Huawei, the world’s <a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/5g-technology-market-202955795.html">leading</a> <a href="https://carrier.huawei.com/en/spotlight/5g">supplier</a> of 5G network infrastructure, on its list of entities deemed to pose a significant risk to national security and foreign policy interests. </p>
<p>Huawei was effectively banned from importing and incorporating key US technologies into its products and services. This included both hardware, such as high-tech semiconductor components, and software, like Google Mobile Services (GMS). The ban was later <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/New-ban-on-Huawei-blocks-access-to-non-US-chipmakers">extended</a> to key technologies from non-US firms. These included the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a major Huawei supplier.</p>
<p>In the month following the initial ban, the CEOs of four major South African telecommunications operators – Telkom, Vodacom, MTN and Cell C – wrote a <a href="https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/312767-here-it-is-the-letter-vodacom-mtn-telkom-and-cell-c-sent-to-ramaphosa.html">joint letter</a> to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa requesting his urgent intervention on the US action against Huawei. Their aim would have been to lend diplomatic weight to prevent damage to South Africa’s telecommunications sector. </p>
<p>In July last year Ramaphosa <a href="https://www.gov.za/speeches/president-cyril-ramaphosa-south-african-digital-economy-summit-5-jul-2019-0000">came out in</a> support of the four operators as well as Huawei. He said the ban was: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>an example of protectionism that will affect our own telecommunications sector, particularly the efforts to roll out the 5G network, causing a setback on other networks as well. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This was an example of pragmatism on the part of the South African government.</p>
<p>African policymakers should strenuously safeguard their right to choose from the widest possible range of technology options that suit their countries’ development needs. And they should insist on acquiring and developing new technologies like 5G based on pragmatism. </p>
<h2>Global supply chains</h2>
<p>The second theatre of struggle for African countries is in global supply chains. </p>
<p>The COVID-19 reality, combined with the ratcheting up of US-China tensions over trade, technology and supply chains, has opened up opportunities that African countries should exploit. </p>
<p>Combined, they have exposed serious problems in supply networks across various sectors. These include digital products, food, pharmaceutical and medical supply chains. </p>
<p>These sectors represent opportunities for African countries to develop new products, services and capabilities. They could, for example, provide answers to safeguarding <a href="https://www.news24.com/fin24/Opinion/opinion-africas-food-security-under-fire-20200423">Africa’s food security needs</a>, local production of <a href="https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=2375">essential drugs and medicines</a>, low-cost medical <a href="https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/05/african-science-steps-up-to-covid-challenge/">tests and equipment</a>, and <a href="https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/impact-covid-19-global-supply-chains">logistics</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341191/original/file-20200611-80770-1amn4sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A mural of presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Berlin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EFE-EPA/Omer Messinger</span></span>
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<p>But African countries will need to work more collaboratively to develop thriving economic sectors and cross-border industrial linkages. Trade will, in our view, be a critical enabler for this.</p>
<p>This leads us to the third domain, namely the need for African countries to deepen trade integration and economic cooperation. This will provide a basis for diversifying from over-reliance on export markets such as China and the US, and to build internal resilience. </p>
<h2>Intra-Africa trade</h2>
<p>Intra-African <a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/demo2.opus.ee/afrexim/African-Trade-Report_2019.pdf">trade</a> accounts for just 16% of total African trade. This compares with 52% in Asia and 73% in Europe. African trade is highly concentrated on a few economic hubs: China and Europe together account for 54% of total African trade, with China being Africa’s single largest trading partner. It accounts for over 14% of total African trade.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://au.int/en/cfta">African Continental Free Trade Area</a> creates the institutional and infrastructural framework for Africa to strengthen intra-African trade, diversify its trading partners and implement long-overdue trade policy reforms. </p>
<p>COVID-19 has induced significant delays in the implementation of this trading arrangement. It should, in fact, have magnified a sense of urgency. But instead of showing adaptability, African leaders pressed a pause button. As a result, the continent could miss an opportunity to accelerate development of cross-border value chains in medical supplies and equipment and other areas.</p>
<h2>Imagination and courage</h2>
<p>African countries should seize the opportunities presented by deepening tensions between China and the US to realise positive agency and chart their own future. They will need to be more proactive and adaptive under the fluid and uncertain global environment. This will require a great deal of imagination and courage. </p>
<p>African countries face a daunting set of challenges and constraints. But policymakers always have options.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140448/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>African policymakers should strenuously safeguard their right to choose from the widest possible range of technology options that suit their countries’ development needs.Mzukisi Qobo, Head: Wits School of Governance, University of the WitwatersrandMjumo Mzyece, Associate Professor of Technology and Operations Management, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.