It’ll Be Months Before We Know the First B3W Projects, But the Battle Between the U.S. and China Over African Mobile Telecoms is Already Underway

U.S. officials have not let on which projects they will support as part of the new B3W plan, their latest effort to blunt China’s infrastructure dominance in the Global South and the Belt and Road Initiative more broadly, however, it’s almost certain that mobile telecommunications will be part of the mix. 

In Africa, the battle is already underway as the U.S.-backed Africell attempts to challenge Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications providers head-on in building network infrastructure and cloud data centers. To be sure, it’s not an equal comparison given that Africell, unlike Huawei, has commercial operating licenses in four African countries. 

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
4
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
5
Indonesia Begins $5.9 Billion Chinese EV Battery Project Despite Environment Fears
6 Trump’s Contradictory Iran Strategy Leaves U.S. Weaker After War’s End, Says Chinese Commentator

You Might Like

One of Africa’s Largest Telecom Operators Sends Clear Message to the U.S. About Huawei: We’re Going to Use Them for 5G, Now Leave Us Alone

Michael Joseph, the acting CEO of Kenya’s Safaricom, one of Africa’s largest mobile operators, really could not have been more clear about his company decision as to whether or not it plans to ...

African Countries Want to Keep Their Options Open Regarding Huawei, Maintaining a Position of “Deliberate Ambiguity”

A new map of the world produced by one of Washington’s leading China analysts, Scott Kennedy from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, breaks down the world according to ...

Kenya Says Companies, Not the Government Decides Whether to Use Huawei 5G Tech

Kenyan ICT Minister Joe Mucheru said it’s up to telecom operator Safaricom, not the government, to decide whether or not to use Huawei equipment. Mucheru once again asserted his country’s sovereignty in the decision ...

The U.S. Has Long Complained About Huawei’s Rise But Never Found a Way to Effectively Challenge the Chinese Tech Company. One DC Think Tank Has a Few Suggestions

The United States government is determined to try and hamper the Chinese tech giant Huawei’s efforts to become the dominant player in next-generation 5G mobile connectivity, AI, and other technologies. In May, Washington ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP