Huawei Technologies is making its biggest push to ensure cybersecurity for the rollout of its 5G technology as it eyes double-digit growth in 2019 despite challenges in overseas markets. Guo Ping, Huawei’s rotating Chairman, said the company’s performance in the past 30 years has proved that it has the best security record in the telecom industry. Huawei will spend USD2 billion over the next five years on enhancing its software engineering capabilities, making “both the company’s coding processes and results secure and trustworthy”, he said.

The Dutch security service AIVD advised the government not to use technology from countries with active cyber-hacking campaigns against the Netherlands, such as China and Russia. The recommendation came as the Dutch government is weighing options for a new 5G telecommunications network in the coming years. But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to rule out doing business with Chinese technology companies.

“Openness, cooperation and unified global standards are keys to commercializing the fifth-generation wireless technology,” said Miao Wei, China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology. “The internet of vehicles, represented by autonomous driving, is likely to become the earliest application of 5G technology,” Miao said, predicting that 80% of 5G applications will involve communication between objects. Huawei has confirmed that as of early March it has signed 30 5G contracts – 18 in Europe, 9 in the Middle East, and 3 in the Asia-Pacific, with a total of 40,000 5G base stations shipped. Ericsson has publicly announced 16 5G contracts, five of them within Europe, while Nokia has signed over 70 agreements across the globe, according to their websites. Huawei’s consumer business sector has surpassed its carrier business for the first time in 2018 and became the largest contributor to its overall revenue, with a total 206 million smartphones shipped last year. Huawei is now the second-largest smartphone vendor based on global market share, and aims to overtake Samsung as the top player by 2020.

Last week, South Korea became the first country with a nation-wide 5G network. In Shanghai, China Mobile began a trial run of its 5G network in Hongkou district. During the kickoff ceremony, Shanghai Vice Mayor Wu Qing made the first video call under the 5G network using a Huawei Mate X handset, the world’s first 5G foldable AI phone.The city aims to build over 10,000 5G base stations by the end of this year. Shanghai also aims to nurture over 100 innovative companies specialized in exploring 5G-related application scenarios, whose industrial output is expected to reach CNY100 billion by 2021. China is expected to become the world’s largest 5G market by 2025, accounting for 460 million 5G connections, or 28% of the global total.

The U.S. and China are engaged in a tight race to implement 5G. The U.S. moved from third place in 2018 to tie China at the top this year in the latest study on the 5G commitments of countries by telecoms research firm Analysys Mason. It also ranked South Korea, as well as Japan and the UK, among the top five in global 5G readiness. China retains a significant infrastructure advantage. A recent study showed China with more than 14 wireless cell sites per 10,000 people, compared to 4.7 in the U.S., and more than five sites per 10 square miles (25.9 square km), compared to 0.4 in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Huawei launched its latest smartphone, the P30 in Paris, France, featuring an innovative optical lens and camera that could redefine smartphone photography. The Huawei P30 Pro is equipped with a new Leica Quad camera system, including four rear-facing cameras: a 40-megapixel (MP) camera with a super spectrum sensor, a 20 MP ultra-wide angle camera, an 8 MP telephoto camera, and a time-of-flight (ToF) camera, which captures depth-of-field information to deliver accurate image segmentation. The 32MP front camera takes selfies to a new level. The Huawei P30 has the best camera performance of all smartphones, according to France-based DxOMark that specializes in image quality. “The P30 series can serve as a telescope, microscope and night vision goggles,” a Huawei employee said at the launch event.