The latest generation of wireless networks, called 5G (for “fifth generation”), has launched with great expectations and amid significant concerns. A theme running through discussions of the 5G era is that this is a race, that first movers will dominate all others, and that this dominance will provide enduring economic and technical benefits to those first movers’ home countries and populations. Influential leaders from government and industry have argued that leadership in wireless communication is a crucial determinant of the country’s economic success in the mobile technology era. The Defense Innovation Board stated,

Historical shifts between wireless generations suggest that the first-mover country stands to gain billions in revenue accompanied by substantial job creation and leadership in technology innovation. . . . Conversely, countries that fell behind in previous wireless generation shifts were obligated to adopt the standards, technologies, and architectures of the leading country and missed out on a generation of wireless capabilities and market potential. (Medin and Louie, 2019, p. 2)