Japan offers a 5G alternative to Huawei

Japan's NEC will build the UK’s ultra-fast Internet after London bans Chinese technology. India picks Rakuten, another Japanese hi-tech giant. They join Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson. The US boycott campaign against Huawei is working.


Tokyo (AsiaNews) – Japan wants to become the Asian alternative to China for the development of fifth generation (5G) Internet networks.

The United Kingdom today announced a new partnership with Japan's NEC to build its own broadband of the future. British Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden also noted his government's intention to ban Huawei technology for the UK’s 5G network, starting September 2021.

According to experts, the Chinese telecom giant has created the most advanced systems in the world for ultra-fast internet. However, it has long been in the crosshairs of the United States, which accuses the compnay of spying on behalf of China.

After the launch of Clean Network, the US campaign to boycott Chinese 5G, many countries previously interested in Huawei's products have decided to turn to other suppliers.

NEC is expected to complete the construction of the British 5G network next year. Its system has the advantage of being able to incorporate components produced by other suppliers.

Another Japanese hi-tech giant, Rakuten, will help India develop its own fifth-generation network, providing the Indian government with a 5G system with a cloud-based mobile network that will reduce the costs of installation and operation.

Rakuten has already opened labs in Bengaluru (southern India) to sell its technology to local carriers.

Technological collaboration between Tokyo and Delhi will be made official in December with the signing of a special memorandum of understanding.

Among other things, it will include cooperation on the development and marketing of 6G technology, which should be ready in about ten years.

In recent months, following clashes between its own forces and Chinese troops on the Himalayan border, India has increased its political and economic collaboration with Japan (and the United States).

NEC and Rakuten are two new competitors for Huawei. So far only Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson have presented alternative 5G systems to China’s.

In Asia, Taiwan and Singapore have chosen the two European companies for their own fifth generation broadband.