Huawei Wants Australian 6G
- By CDOTrends editors
- January 12, 2021
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is putting pressure on the Australian Government to discuss the rollout of 6G technology as it seeks to re-establish a foothold in the country.
Huawei was famously banned from participating in Australia’s 5G network back in 2018, and this has since been cited by the Chinese Government as a key reason for beginning frosty relations between the two countries.
"The conversation we now want to have with the Australian government is what do we do when 6G or 7G comes, because like it or not, Huawei or another Chinese company will be the leader in this area," Huawei’s Australian director of corporate affairs Jeremy Mitchell told local media
"We would like to work with the government to ensure Australia has access to the best technology but do so in a way which gives security agencies confidence in terms of risk mitigation.
Mitchell said that while it was “not too late” for Huawei to be involved in Australian 5G, he accepted it was now “very unlikely.”
The Australian Government's ban on Huawei was based on the view that the company could be subject to demands from the Chinese Government.
There was also a judgment that Huawei would be unable to split core network functions from transmission parts, a view Mitchell said was wrong.
He said that engaging with Huawei at an early point on 6G could clear up misconceptions and also deliver world-leading technology to Australia.
In terms of 5G, mobile operators in Australia have been accelerating their deployments but are waiting for additional spectrum that local regulator ACMA plans to award later this year.
Telstra has deployed more than 2000 5G base stations covering 40% of the population, with a target of 75% by June this year.
Image credit: iStockphoto/Seungyeon Kim