HUAWEI — paving the way for future telecommunications?
Scoring system (+1/-1)
Tech-giant Huawei Technology Co. Ltd, founded by former People’s Liberation Army Officer, Ren Zhangfei, has recently come under fire in the news for a range of matters, from the arrest of the deputy chairwoman Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, the (suspected) barring of United States companies from using Huawei products, and the banning of 5G rollouts across many countries worldwide. Aside from these issues, the UK is considering the inclusion of Huawei when creating its own 5G network. Should Parliament signal the go-ahead, what will this mean, and how will it impact our daily lives?
5G, labelled as ‘superfast mobile internet’, which gives the user “reliable access to sufficiently high bandwidth connectivity, and generic cloud services”, promises mobile speeds 10–20 times faster than our current 4G network with its brand-new radio technology +1. Carrying a hefty price tag not just for the government and tax payers for the construction of infrastructure, and the new phones/appliances one would need to access 5G benefits, but also the changes businesses may have to apply.
So… it’ll be expensive. But how will it benefit our daily lives?
“Cities are actively shaped by five-types of socio-political actors: Agenda-setters, Experts, Sponsors, Developers, and Citizens”, and as citizens, according to Huffpost, we have ‘3 quintessential needs’:
- Higher levels of connectivity
- Greater convenience
- Better modes of daily commute
Cities are driven by technology, with the growth of a city directly attributed to its technological successes. But the thing that makes it work is citizen participation and engagement, key for an urban area to thrive. As we all become more connected to our surroundings, efficiency increases, and in the case of Huawei, the boost to communication speeds positively affects this efficiency. With the click of a button, the way we interact with people and objects around us will enable us to fit more into our daily lives. This affects one of our ‘quintessential needs’, this increase in connectivity in a smart city allows faster, more direct routes to links +1. The rise of autonomous vehicles used for public transportation, delivery, and business usage is predicted with the rise of 5G, allowing us to focus on other activities during our commutes. This further satisfies both of our ‘3 quintessential needs’, better modes of daily commute, and greater convenience (when it comes to delivery of goods) +2.
Another example of smart city living is how the unsuspecting objects in our daily lives can benefit us. When looking at the City of Chester, solar-powered public bins created by Big Belly, a company situated in the United States — uses energy created to crush litter, allowing for more trash to be disposed. Installed also in New York, Edinburgh, and Liverpool, these smart-bins can even serve as wi-fi hotspots for visitors and citizens. When the bin is full, a monitoring system sends an email to the city council. Not only do these bins benefit all parties involved, they save money too, as the average saving per unit is £77/w in efficiency with less frequent rubbish-removal needed. When talking about the positive impacts Huawei and 5G may have on the UK, it is almost impossible to predict what will follow. If anybody had told me we’d have smart bins 10 years ago, I would have taken it jokingly. Ask me what I could foresee with the rise of connectivity, and I’ll tell you one thing — anything is possible!
With an increase in connectivity, privacy concerns arise, and for good reason. Only last December, using its home-virtual assistant Alexa, Amazon sent over 1,700 various voice recordings to an unsuspecting customer, in what is condemned as a terrifying data breach. With over 100 million Alexa devices in the hands of customers worldwide however, although only a minor slip-up, what could potentially be yet to come is the worrying thought -1. On top of this, many other objects in our daily lives are becoming dependent on electricity and broadband signals, therefore provisions should be integrated into these items, and into our routines as humans, in the (un)likely case that 5G issues occur.
Raising the issue of data protection when looking at Huawei and their integration of 5G networks around the UK is therefore important, especially seeing as the USA has banned the use of foreign telecommunications in business in what’s seen as a protection against foreign spying against American personnel. Many citizens worldwide dislike the prospect of a big-brother style of community, in which our every day movements are watched, but sometimes it’s for the greater good. Company, Deep Glint, uses 3D CCTV imaging to ‘track citizen behaviour’. Before you take this negatively, this technology can survey and report data immediately on any potential physical fights, injuries, and suspicious persons, which in turn increases our safety. When applying this logic to Huawei, the advanced connectivity could transform out safety +1. The Washington Post suggests that 5G could be used to monitor an ageing population, and those with medication as it can relay information back to their GP.
With technology of this calibre, it seems that many could potentially benefit, but how could it negatively impact us? Well, for starters, for the remainder of our time in the EU, business owners with an online presence must abide by the 2016 EU General Data Protection Regulation, “which requires companies to comply with data privacy guidelines and protects individuals’ personal data”. This comes at a monetary cost for businesses, as valuable resources, time, and money must be input to create preparations for protecting customers data, following these mandatory laws -1. Effectively, Huawei could be held accountable for many issues should a data breaches, system outages, or other issues arise -1. And what happens when the UK leaves the EU? How will this affect our data protection?
When discussing those of a lower-class status unable to pay for fancy new phones, or those who would actively seek to refrain from usage of 5G, how would the roll-out of 5G technology and devices affect this group? Would these people simply ‘be forgotten’, or would the government make an effort integrating the basic 5G needs to those deemed in-need? For instance, as previously discussed, the sick and the elderly would benefit from the responsive technology Huawei has to offer, thus would taxpayers’ money be spent catering to the needs of the few? If anything is for certain, initial start-up costs will be expensive, as Mike Elgan writes for Computerworld that, “5G won’t be reliable enough anytime soon for companies such as Apple and Samsung to remove the supercomputer-like processing power from smartphones and move everything to the cloud. I’m afraid that $1,000-plus smartphones are here to stay.” He also states that it could potentially take until 2022 for all high-end smartphones to convert to 5G technology -1.
When it comes to the installation of anything unknown to the wider-audience, there are always safety concerns, and for right reason, but with Huawei it seems a no-brainer. With the boost to safety and surveillance, many lives could be saved in the event of crime, illness or natural destruction. And for the purpose of the UK, a nation that prides itself upon its technological advances, 5G would prove a point. Especially as back in 2017, Wired cited the UK as having the 31st slowest internet in the world, behind most European countries, further proving that technological changes need to happen in the UK to remain as front runners in the world technology race. And although Huawei and 5G cannot hasten our broadband speeds, they CAN boost our mobile data speeds — a step in the right direction! On top of this, although there are safety and economic climate concerns surrounding the progression, the benefits to daily life in a smart city would create space for new inventions, raise efficiency levels in business, and enable citizens to manage their time and energy more effectively.
Overall scoring:
5 + 4 = 1
Rating: +1
From this rating, it can be understood that 5G is not the UK’s most pressing issue at hand, although the integration of advanced telecommunication technology would be a welcomed sight for many citizens and cities alike.
