5G in the US is 'pathetic,' says Google's ex-CEO

Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, said the US is "well behind" China in the "race" to 5G. In an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal, Schmidt and Harvard professor Graham Allison argued that "the Biden administration should make 5G a national priority and take the lead in building digital highways across the country as the government did in creating our national highway system. Otherwise, China will own the 5G future."

Figure 1: Chinese operators have launched extensive 5G networks in the country.
(Source: Sipa US / Alamy Stock Photo)

Schmidt and Allison argued that most 5G services in the US are much slower than those in China, citing data from PCMag. In addition, they argued that China's Huawei remains a top 5G supplier globally despite ongoing US sanctions against the company. And they also pointed to the Federal Aviation Administration's "hysterics" regarding possible interference between 5G operations in C-band spectrum and aircraft radio altimeters.

More broadly, they argued that the Chinese government has funneled fully $50 billion into 5G networks in the country, while the US government has so far only allocated $1.5 billion toward 5G specifically.

However, the US government, and US 5G providers, aren't standing still. First, both Verizon and T-Mobile now operate extensive and speedy midband 5G networks, and AT&T has pledged to begin its own midband 5G buildout. Moreover, President Biden recently inked legislation allocating fully $65 billion toward broadband in the US, money that may be funneled toward wireless and wired networks. And the head of the FAA recently stepped down following complaints over his handling of the C-band interference controversy.

This isn't the first time Schmidt has complained of the 5G situation in the US. He has previously warned of excessive spending by US network operators on midband spectrum licenses for 5G.

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— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano