Huawei, China’s largest telecommunications equipment and smartphone maker said, in a statement, that it was aiming to become a global leader in 5G technology
The company said that it would be dedicating 20-30 percent of its R&D spend on basic science research, up from its previous expectation of 10 percent.
The company is among the world’s leading R&D spenders, although it remains some way behind the likes of Amazon and Alphabet, who spent $22.6billion and $16.6billion, respectively, in 2017.
The announcement comes as the company has come under scrutiny from the United States, Australia and Britain, who have been pushing back against its network communications technology on security grounds.
A recent UK government report said technical and supply-chain issues with Huawei’s network equipment exposed Britain’s telecom networks to security risks, reversing a previous endorsement.
Chinese companies, led by Huawei, are estimated to own about 10 percent of the essential patents for 5G worldwide, significantly higher that was the case with 3G and 4G.
