On the stage reserved for the biggest players in the global telecoms industry, three Chinese groups took their place this week alongside three Western companies, facing a room full of "tech" players, with a message bearing on the need to "work together".

These state-owned companies - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom - were banned from doing business in the United States by the US administration last year, severely hampering their global ambitions.

In question, according to the American authorities: "significant" risks for the national security of the United States, with a possible interference on the part of the Chinese State - a reason similar to that invoked to exclude the Huawei group from the American market in 2020.

A situation that has not prevented the three groups, which have relatively little international presence, from boasting about their achievements and their strengths in the very promising 5G market.

"By the end of 2022, we are expected to deploy over 1 million 5G base stations and have over 330 million subscribers using 5G networks," said Yang Jie, head of China Mobile.

The deployment of 5G - a mobile technology that allows the transmission of large amounts of data in a very short time - is considered vital for many technological sectors, such as autonomous vehicles and advanced industrial equipment.

The 5G logo at the world mobile show, February 28, 2022 in Barcelona Pau BARRENA AFP

It gives rise to a race between industry giants, in which China has taken a serious lead - raising analysts' fears that excluding Chinese companies from the global market will do more harm than good.

National security risks

In Barcelona, ​​the boss of the British group Vodafone Nick Read was explicit about the challenge facing Europe.

"At the current pace, it will take at least until the end of the decade for Europe to 'reach the level of 5G rollout' achieved by China this year," he said.

The boss of the British group Vodafone Nick Read at the world mobile show, February 28, 2022 in Barcelona LLUIS GENE AFP

China Mobile has nearly a billion subscribers, making it by far the largest operator in the world.

China Telecom and China Unicom each have more than 300 million subscribers.

The three state-owned companies are an integral part of the effort to develop 5G in China.

"If we look at the world today, at least on the consumer side, 65% of 5G is in mainland China," said Dario Talmesio, analyst for Omdia, for whom this country has "a body of expertise" and a solid "experience" in this field.

"Can the rest of the world say with confidence: + we don't need this? +", he adds.

"Hearts and Minds"

On the Barcelona stage, the three Chinese groups were careful not to directly attack the American ban.

China Mobile said it was "ready to work with all sectors of society" to "unleash the infinite potential" of 5G, assured its CEO.

China Telecom boss Ruiwen Ke said he wanted to "work together" to "create a better future".

Visitors to the World Mobile Fair, February 28, 2022 in Barcelona Josep LAGO AFP

According to Ben Wood of research firm CCS Insight, Chinese companies have come to Barcelona on a "mission" to seduce "hearts and minds".

"The Chinese are very proud of what they have created and want to come and tell this story," he explains.

"And they want to make sure they set the framework for how the technology will evolve in the future."

Both Ben Wood and Dario Talmesio point to the huge advantage Chinese companies enjoy due to the size of their domestic market.

The groups present in Barcelona send a "clear message", believes Mr Talmesio: "we are here, we are always international, we are happy to do business with anyone who will allow us."

© 2022 AFP