Exploring the intersection of IT and Geopolitics with Tony Blair Institute Director, Anand Pillai
Global Governance Initiative
Impact MBA Scholars, Fellowship to build a career in Management Consulting, Public Policy and Product Management
When we talk of 5G, the first thing that comes to mind is “SPEED”. Well, it is obvious to think of speed, when talking about 5G, as it aims to enhance the user experience of internet users around the world by providing lightning-fast speeds in a fraction of a second. But the talk about 5G also includes discussions around the geopolitical issues surrounding the rollout of technology around, with the significant leaning of power towards China due to its massive 5G-ready mobile infrastructure.
Anand?Pillai,?Director?at?Tony?BlairInstitute?for?Global?Change?helps?usdeeply?understand?the?geopoliticalissues?surrounding?the?rollout?of?5Gservices?around?the?world.
WHY?5G
When talking about 5G, one of the first questions that come up is that is 5G really needed right now. The simple answer is Yes because while living in a dynamic environment with constantly changing technologies around the world, the driver behind the technology around the world needs to be as updated as possible. With the internet being the driver behind technology around the world, there is a constant need to strive and upgrade the worldwide internet infrastructure, and 5G is the latest technological advancement needed around the world to keep technological innovations on track.
5G is faster and uses less energy when compared to 4G and it simultaneously allows us to do things more quickly while using less energy and less bandwidth, making it an energy-efficient upgrade needed in a world facing a global energy crisis. Depending on how fast our network is, we can do many amazing and exciting things like autonomous driving or VR.?
Lots?of?industries?will?derive?a?lot?ofbenefits?from?5G?as?it?is?faster,?better,and?cheaper?which?allows?companiesto?do?things?that?they?weren’t?able?todo?before.
5G?is?a?battle?being?playedpredominantly?between?the?US?andChina?as?part?of?larger?geopoliticaltensions?between?these?countries.
The?US?and?China?are?locking?hornsover?the?following?factors?in?the?race?to5G:
2. Global?Sales:?China?again?leadsthis?category?with?Huawei,?theworld’s?largest?mobileinfrastructure?firm?trialling?5Gin?over?40?countries.
3. Standards:?While?the?US?enjoyeddominated?standards?setting?for4G,?it?is?Beijing?that?hassubstantial?representation?in?5Gstandards?and?is?becoming?moreassertive?in?international?bodies.
4. Security:?Huawei?has?beenfacing?allegations?around?theworld?for?including?“backdoors”in?its?5G?equipment.
China is ahead in terms of built infrastructure and is expected to have the largest 5G market. They have taken a whole government-side approach to 5G, by putting the power of state-owned enterprises for pushing towards 5G.
领英推荐
Currently, Huawei has a large part of the market in terms of 5G infrastructure around the world. However, one of the biggest challenges that Huawei faces right now is that due to US regulatory clampdown, the Chinese firm could be left wanting for some pieces of equipment that it sources from around the world for assembling its 5G equipment. However, the innovations being done by US firms should not be discounted as they are also making significant progress towards making their telecom infrastructure 5G ready.
GOVERNANCE?OF?5G
There?are?two?main?regulatory?bodiesin?the?telecom?sector?around?the?world, -International?TelecommunicationUnion?(ITU)?and,?-3rd?GenerationPartnership?Project?(3GPP).
By being a front-runner in the 5G sector, China has also taken a leadership role in major governance and regulatory organisations around the world like the 3GPP. This gives China major decision-making powers in the 5G sector which can be used to make decisions in its favour.
Technology is the new battleground of the world and countries are striving to dominate the tech battles around the world
By dominating the technology sector, countries around the world can have significant influence over many geopolitical decisions that might favour them and after analyzing all the aspects discussed till now, it's easy to figure out the importance of 5G from Foreign Policy and Technological Perspectives. This is why nations and companies around the world are striving to get their services up and running as soon as possible.
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Anand?Pillai?currently?leads?the?Centerof?Government?and?Delivery?Practice?at?the?Tony?Blair?Institute?for?Global?Change,?and?prior?to?his?current?role?spent?10+?years?as?a?management?consultant?working?on?diverse?mandates?ranging?from?implementing?a?government?relations?strategy?($10bilRio?Tinto?mining?project)?to?the?transformation?of?one?of?the?world’s?largest?plantation?companies?before?itsIPO.
Anand?has advised Heads of State, Ministers and local governments across Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa on the delivery of their political priorities and on how to put in place systems in the centre of government to drive ambitious reform agendas.
Anand?holds a graduate degree from the?University of Oxford?and is also an engineering and management science graduate from?Northwestern University, Chicago?where he completed his undergraduate studies.