US President Donald Trump (pictured) urged operators to pick up the pace of 5G deployments, warning the country risks being left behind if companies don’t work faster.
In a pair of posts on Twitter, Trump pressed for the rollout of “5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible”. He called on the mobile industry to “step up their efforts,” adding “there is no reason that we should be lagging behind on something that is so obviously the future”.
Of the four major US operators, Verizon and AT&T already launched limited 5G service, while Sprint and T-Mobile US have plans to deploy the technology later this year.
The president also made what appeared to be a reference to government concerns about the 5G supply chain: “I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies.”
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration is considering how to encourage more domestic 5G suppliers to enter the market as part of an effort to counter Chinese investments in advanced technologies.
The missives aren’t the first time Trump has spoken out on 5G. In December 2017, he designated 5G as a national priority and in October 2018 pushed government agencies to free up more spectrum for next generation deployments.
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