Ahead of critical trade talks with China, US President Donald Trump is demanding America forge ahead in the tech race by jumping straight to sixth-generation mobile communications. Only problem? It doesn’t exist.
Despite 5G communication technology only recently being rolled out for consumers, Trump’s tweets on Thursday morning demanded that American companies “step up their efforts, or get left behind,” calling for “5G, and even 6G” technology to be developed “as soon as possible.”
Although release dates for nationwide coverage vary, almost all of America’s major providers have already introduced limited scale 5G networks.
While admitting the latest generation of mobile communication is “far more powerful, faster and smarter” than its predecessors, the president showed that his outlook on American technological progress is even more far-sighted.
We must always be the leader in everything we do, especially when it comes to the very exciting world of technology!
Trump’s bold vision nonetheless struck a number of people as odd, due to the fact that 6G technology is still in the realm of theory. This led to some speculation on Twitter about what prompted his sudden proclamation.
While many felt Trump had gotten a little ahead of himself and was being unrealistic, others felt like he wasn’t looking forward far enough. After all, why stop at only 6G?
Trump’s tweet also expressed his desire to “win through competition” instead of “blocking out currently more advanced technologies.” This has led many to speculate he might be ready to take a softer stance on Chinese 5G developer Huawei. Despite a potential ban on the service in the US, the company has already scored contracts with nearly 30 countries.
Ironically, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei had already thanked the Trump administration earlier in the day, sarcastically suggesting the recent US attacks on 5G had actually served to promote it.
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