Sunday, March 3, 2019

The US-China Battle over Cybersecurity and Africa

The South African Institute for International Affairs posted on 19 February 2019 a commentary titled "Is an Iron Curtain Falling Across Tech?" by Cobus van Staden.

The intensifying battle between the US and China over Huawei, cybersecurity, 5G, and global tech supremacy is also playing out in Africa. Huawei has reportedly built at least 50 3G networks in 36 African countries and implemented 70 percent of the continent's 4G networks. Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese tech companies are involved in everything from new undersea internet cables and national data networks to selling millions of mobile phones to Africans. While US IT companies are not competing in Africa, the table is set for extending the debate to the continent.