In 2019, the U.S. government ordered the dismantling of Chinese-made equipment used in U.S. telecommunications and security networks, citing so-called “national security threats,” and replacing them with equipment from non-Chinese companies. US media reports pointed out that the consequences of this have affected small wireless telecom operators in dozens of states in the United States.
The New York Times of the United States published an article on May 9, titled: “Replacement” – the technological cold war is subverting wireless telecom operators.
The article wrote that deep in a pine forest in Wilcox County, Alabama, several workers were removing and replacing Chinese equipment in the local wireless network on top of a 350-foot cellular tower. Three hours later the team ran into trouble when a newly installed piece of equipment from a European company blocked the aircraft’s safety lights.
The project has been delayed for months due to storms, slow equipment shipments and labor shortages. Nettles, president of the family business Pine Belt Cellular, said the new glitch discovered earlier this month added at least two more days to the construction schedule and disrupted the budget. problems, there will be more expenses, there will be delays.”
Workers prepare to climb to the top of a cellular tower to replace equipment. “New York Times”
The article pointed out that as the United States and China compete for geopolitical and technological advantages, the impact has already spread to rural areas in Alabama and small wireless operators in dozens of states. They are casualties of the Biden administration’s sweeping policies to suppress China’s rise, including trade restrictions, a $52 billion package to support domestic semiconductor manufacturing against China, and the divestiture of video app TikTok from its Chinese owners.
The article said that the plan called “swapping and swapping” that wireless carriers must implement has become the most vivid manifestation of the technological cold war between the two superpowers. The plan, which went into effect in 2020, requires U.S. companies to dismantle telecommunications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. U.S. officials have warned that equipment from these companies could be used by Beijing for espionage and to steal trade secrets.
U.S. carriers must use equipment from non-Chinese companies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees the program, will take money from the $1.9 billion in funding that will be used to compensate carriers. Former FCC Chief of Staff Blair Levine claimed that “removal” is the first front of the “decoupling” between the United States and China. “With the global competition of artificial intelligence and other technologies, this story will continue into the next decade.”
A row of ZTE equipment will be replaced by Nokia equipment.
But removing Chinese technology from U.S. networks will not be easy. Related costs have soared to more than $5 billion, more than double what Congress appropriated, according to the FCC. Many carriers also face long supply chain delays for new equipment. The burden particularly affects smaller operators, which are more reliant on cheap equipment from Chinese companies than big players. Some small companies say they may not be able to upgrade their networks and continue to serve their communities, where they are often the only internet provider.
“We must follow through, or some carriers may go out of business,” said Nebraska Republican Senator Fisher. United Wireless of Dodge, Kansas, filed with the FCC in January: Projects will continue to be delayed until funding is secured as we wait for the necessary funds to build and pay for new network equipment.”
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