Understanding the regulation of 5G equipment suppliers through the advocacy coalition framework

This article explores the global political contestation over fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications regulation following the Trump administration’s 2019 executive order restricting Chinese-made equipment. In response to this geopolitical shift, two competing coalitions – one US-led and largely composed of democratic states and non-state allies, and another spearheaded by China and its partners – emerged to shape divergent global policy approaches. Drawing on the advocacy coalition framework (ACF), this article moves beyond the dominant state-centric perspective on international relations by analysing how non-state and subnational actors within these coalitions advocated competing ideas and coordinated their strategies to influence 5G regulation across borders. In analysing intra- and inter-coalition dynamics, I contend that incorporating relevant IR perspectives, namely power relations and interdependency, into the ACF offers a nuanced understanding of coalition politics in a policy context that involves complex trade-offs between security, technology, and economic interests. Empirically, I illustrate these dynamics with reference to the United Kingdom’s policy reversal on Huawei and the varied policy approaches to 5G regulation taken by European Union (EU) members. This article contributes to understanding global governance in adversarial emerging technology policy subsystems.