White House Recruits Tech Companies to Create Huawei Alternative

If at first you don't succeed on the world stage, try something different within your own borders.

Last week, the U.S. watched with dismay as the EU and U.K. decided to allow Huawei gear in parts of their 5G networks. Now, the White House is recruiting U.S. tech firms to create common software standards for domestic 5G networks, the WSJ reported yesterday. Think of it like an American counterweight to Huawei's soup-to-nuts solution.

Washington drafted Microsoft, Dell, and AT&T to its team, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told the WSJ. Oracle's also involved, Axios confirmed. The squad will include foreign firms Nokia and Ericsson, because it would be virtually impossible to build a 5G network without their equipment.

• "To quote Michael Dell, 'Software is eating the hardware in 5G,'" Kudlow said. Someone get that printed on a t-shirt.

Bottom line: 5G relies on software-defined communications processes. That means banning Huawei's physical 5G infrastructure isn't sufficient for American leaders concerned about national security—they also want the U.S. to develop a software alternative.