SHANGHAI, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 17: Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference at West Bund on September 17, 2018 in Shanghai, China. The 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference is held on September 17-19 in Shanghai. (Photo by Zhao Yun/VCG via Getty Images)
How Jack Ma changed China
A customer displays the Hema application on a Huawei Technologies Co. smartphone while shopping at an Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Hema Store in Shanghai, China, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. Hema stores are one-stop shops where users can pay with their mobile app, get recommendations by scanning product bar codes, and have seafood cooked on the spot, and also serving as last-mile delivery fulfillment centers, where goods get to buyers within 30 minutes. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
You need an app to shop in Alibaba's grocery stores
to allow Huawei equipment into new superfast 5G networks because it claims the gear could be used by the Chinese government for spying.
Huawei strongly denies the accusations. And it has already built up such a strong lead in 5G technology that it's practically irreplaceable for many wireless carriers that want to be among the first to offer the new services.
The US is stepping up pressure on Europe to ditch Huawei
The US is stepping up pressure on Europe to ditch Huawei
"Banning Huawei will create a vacuum that no one can fill in a timely fashion and may seriously impair 5G deployments worldwide," said Stéphane Téral, a mobile telecom infrastructure expert at research firm IHS Markit. The uncertainty is particularly problematic for Europe, where Huawei was expected to play a key role in building 5G networks that the region's leaders say are vital for its economic future.
The international rollout of 5G has become a front line in the broader clash over advanced technology between the United States and China that is reshaping the relationship between the world's top two economies.
The United States doesn't have a heavyweight global competitor to Huawei in telecommunications equipment. The Chinese firm's biggest rivals are Ericsson (ERIC) of Sweden and Nokia (NOK) of Finland. But they have struggled for years with losses and job cuts while Huawei has powered ahead, generating annual revenue of more than $100 billion, building a strong base in China and amassing intellectual property that will help determine the future of 5G.
ernational mobile operators are warning that by shutting Huawei out of 5G networks, countries risk undermining their own tech capabilities. The new wave of wireless communications is expected to increase internet speeds as much as 100 times compared with 4G networks, and help power emerging technologies like smart cities and connected vehicles.
Vodafone's (VOD) CEO Nick Read cautioned last month that a complete ban on all Huawei gear would substantially delay the availability of 5G. The mobile carrier has suspended the installation of the Chinese company's equipment in core networks in Europe while it speaks with authorities and the company.
In August, Vodafone slammed the Australian government's decision to ban Huawei from providing 5G technology for networks there, saying the move "fundamentally undermines Australia's 5G future."
UK telecom group BT's chief architect, Neil McRae, put the situation in stark terms late last year.
"There is only one true 5G supplier right now, and that is Huawei," he said at an industry event in London. "The others need to catch up."

BT (BT) said in December that it won't include Huawei equipment in the heart of its planned 5G network, but will continue to use it for areas that are considered "benign," like the radio masts that connect wireless devices with the core network.
The head of BT's consumer brands told CNN Business last week that Huawei had given him no "cause for concern" over the years.
But British officials have security concerns, and Huawei has promised to spend $2 billion to address them. In a letter last month to UK lawmakers, the Chinese company warned that the process will take three to five years to have tangible results, likening it to "replacing components on a high-speed train in motion."
The situation should have Ericsson and Nokia cheering, but experts say the two companies may not be very well positioned to capitalize on Huawei's difficulties.
"It goes without saying that other leading vendors stand to benefit in the short-term," according to analysts at Dell'Oro Group, a market research firm that specializes in telecoms infrastructure analysis.
Ericsson and Nokia both declined to comment on their competitors. Instead, they touted their advancements on 5G in statements to CNN Business.
Nokia claims it holds "the industry's only end-to-end 5G portfolio that is available globally," while Ericsson said it has publicly announced more 5G contracts with operators "than any other vendor."