US State Secretary Anthony Blinken hailed a landmark deal with Finland for the rollout of next-generation wireless technology perceived by international observers as an initiative to counter China’s influence in the tech world.
The 5G network is just starting to make waves in the global tech industry but the rest of the world is already in a frenzy for the arrival of 6G technology.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently signed the Joint Statement on Cooperation in Advanced Wireless Communications in Helsinki.
In his speech, Blinken emphasized maximizing technology as a force for good and being a leader in the development of the 6G network.
He added that America is ready to mobilize ”hundreds of billions of dollars to finance high-quality infrastructure in countries where it’s needed the most” and will be built ”in a way that’s transparent.”
In a recent interview with a local newspaper, Haavisto said that US and Finland want to see a 6G system that is “democratic and transparent” and mentioned negative dependencies towards China.
Meanwhile, Risto E.J. Penttilä, a policy expert and former member of the Finnish parliament said that 6G is part of NATO’s global strategy and a big global game between China and the US in which Finland and Sweden will have an important role to play.
6G is still at the conceptual stage and is earmarked for commercial launch around 2030.
It is expected to deliver maximum speeds up to 100 times faster than 5G with enhanced reliability and wider network coverage.
Finland as well as European stakeholders are investing millions of euros for the development of 6G within the next ten years.
2023 marks another year of the United States making efforts of partnering with allies to counter China’s 5G network while Europe hopes the launch of 6G technology will put it back to the forefront of the digital economy.
Although Europe is currently making efforts to develop the next generation wireless technology, it was China that made history by launching the world’s first 6G satellite into orbit to undergo a space test in November 2020.
According to experts, 5G networks are likely to cover one-third of the world’s population by 2025, while it remains to be seen if the 6G network being developed by Europe has the power to overthrow the popular Chinese technology currently being used by dozens of countries across the globe.
