Lex专栏：中美5G之争
高通(Qualcomm)在移动芯片知识产权领域占据着主导地位，这使它受到了攻击。周三，这家美国芯片制造商被台湾公平交易委员会(Fair Trade Commission)罚款234亿新台币(合7.74亿美元)。
A lower-profile skirmish over chips for the forthcoming 5G standard could be more consequential, however. China is pushing for a bigger share in the design of the next generation of mobile data services. If it succeeds, Qualcomm will be hurt, equipment makers such as ZTE and Huawei will benefit and operators such as China Mobile will pay the bill.
不过，一场不那么热闹的围绕5G芯片的争执才是重头戏——目前5G标准尚未制定出来。中国正力争在下一代移动数据服务的设计方面占据更大份额。如果中国成功了，高通将受到冲击，中兴(ZTE)和华为(Huawei)等设备制造商将会受益，而中国移动(China Mobile)等运营商将为此买单。
The US chip group owns 12.5 per cent of patents essential for the current 4G standard, according to Jefferies. Qualcomm recorded royalty revenues of $4.4bn in the nine months to June. China is the largest mobile market — China Mobile alone has 873m customers — but the nation’s share of intellectual property has historically been small.
据杰富瑞(Jefferies)估算，现行4G标准的核心专利中，12.5%由高通所有。在截至今年6月的9个月内，这家美国集团的专利费收入高达44亿美元。中国是全球最大的移动市场——仅中国移动就拥有8.73亿用户——但在知识产权方面，中国拥有的份额一直很小。
The intellectual future involves more Sino influence. China owns a tenth of essential 5G patents, Jefferies notes. The country has moved to strengthen its role in the international regulatory bodies. So much so that US officials have complained about efforts by “authoritarian governments” to influence future networks.
未来中国在知识领域将拥有更大影响力。杰富瑞指出，在现有的5G核心专利中，中国拥有其中的十分之一。中国已着手增强自身在国际监管机构中的作用，美国官员还因此抱怨“一些威权政府”力图影响未来的网络。
The future of the standard rests in large part on the international co-operation necessary to make sure devices and protocols work across borders. The most basic difference between the approaches of the two countries concerns which frequencies 5G should use. US companies claim an advantage in high frequency millimetre waves. China will likely aim to be a first mover with its lower frequency approach, in hopes of swaying undecided countries.
未来5G标准会是什么样，在很大程度上取决于为确保设备和协议可以跨境通用所需采取的国际合作。中美模式最根本的区别在于5G技术应该采用什么频率。美国企业声称，高频毫米波存在优势。而中国可能想凭借其较低频率的模式成为一个先行者，希望以此影响那些尚未拿定主意的国家。
Mobile operators will have to bear most of the costs of implementation — estimated at Rmb1.65tn ($250bn) to 2025 by government researchers. Equipment manufacturers and patent owners will benefit via higher royalties. Shares in ZTE more than doubled this year. Investors betting on the group must simultaneously believe in the success of China’s patent push.
移动运营商将不得不承担大部分实施成本——据政府研究人员估计，到2025年需耗资1.65万亿元人民币(合2500亿美元)。设备制造商和专利所有者将受益于更高的专利费用。今年以来，中兴的股价已上涨了一倍多。那些押注中兴的投资者，必然也相信中国在专利方面的努力将会取得成功。
