It’s has been almost 20 years since Huawei has been facing a backlash against its activities in the United States. Their grand plans of entering the U.S smartphone market were thrown in the bin earlier this year. The U.S government is wary of Huawei bringing their 5G tech in the country thanks to their alleged ties tot he Chinese government. According to some reports, the Trump administration is even trying to implement a government-backed nation-wide 5G network.
With the growing concerns surrounding its place in the United States, the Chinese telecommunications provider has shifted its focus to Europe, specifically Portugal, a country which they plan to mould into a 5G leader. Huawei is in talks with the Dutch telecom giant, Altice to bring 5G in the country. Alexandre Fonseca, CEO, Altice Portugal, confirmed their collaboration with Huawei after demonstrating a 1.5Gbps throughput using an experimental Huawei router last Wednesday. The CEO claimed that his company will be among the first wireless players in the world to commercialize 5G networks. The first line of 5G products might hit the Portuguese market by next year.
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While the plans are quite ambitious, the country itself might not be ready for a widespread 5G coverage primarily due to profitability concerns. Other European countries have a lesser ambitious timeline to follow as far as 5G is concerned. Stricter rules regarding the use of millimetre wave spectrum are something the European network operators are afraid of. In short, the European countries might probably lose the ‘5G race’ to countries like the United States and China. 5G is the next big leap in making theoretical concepts a reality. A faster mode of communication would allow a significant increase in the wireless-ness that we enjoy today. But will Huawei manage to get past all its issues and make it happen? Or will it have to face a few more years of being shunned? Only time will tell.
