White House Considers Broad Federal Intervention To Secure 5G Future – By Drew FitzGerald, Sarah Krouse (Wall Street Journal) / June 25 2020
Trump administration officials have talked about inserting the federal government deep into the private sector to stiffen global competition against Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co.
The ideas, discussed intermittently with U.S. tech giants, private-equity firms and veteran telecom executives, include prodding large U.S. technology companies like Cisco Systems Inc. to acquire European companies Ericsson AB or Nokia Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. In more than one case, they said, the company wasn’t interested in buying into low-margin businesses.
Policy makers have also discussed shoring up Ericsson and Nokia with tax breaks and export-bank financing, or supporting a private-equity group that would take one of the European equipment makers private. Other proposals would support “open” network technology that would make it easier for U.S. startups to develop new technology for 5G equipment.
The ideas show how far the U.S. is willing to go in its fight with China over who will supply the world with advanced technologies.
The pandemic has complicated an already knotty planning process. The White House postponed a planned April 1 meeting on 5G technology with Mr. Trump and executives from U.S. wireless carriers, equipment makers and major tech companies including Dell Technologies Inc., Intel Corp., and Microsoft Corp. after the virus shut down most travel.
Administration officials have touted progress over the past year in spurring the rollout of faster 5G networks in the U.S., by speeding up auctions of airwave licenses and enacting regulatory changes to make it easier to install equipment.
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