Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new portion of their 5G networks on 19th January, capping a years-long process in which both providers invested billions in spectrum and equipment to improve their networks. The networks that went live on 19th January are employing C-band wavelengths to cover a huge portion of the country with wireless coverage that is expected to be noticeably quicker than current 4G service. In big areas such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Verizon claims that 90 million people will have access to the new 5G service this month. By the end of the year, AT&T expects its C-band network to reach up to 75 million people.

China wants to increase the digital economy's proportion of GDP to 10% by 2025, thanks to next-generation technologies such as 6G internet and big data. The aim exemplifies China's effort to be first in new technologies as it competes with the United States in fields ranging from semiconductors to artificial intelligence. China's State Council, the country's top administrative body, stated in a paper released last week that "key industries of the digital economy" will account for 10% of GDP by 2025, up from 7.8% in 2020.

Lithium is in short supply in the United States. Almost every major carmaker has announced a shift to electric vehicles, Tesla delivered almost one million cars in 2021, and a handful of smaller electric vehicle firms, such as Rivian and Lucid, are launching new models. We'll need a lot of batteries to power all of these electric vehicles. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, by 2030, electric vehicle growth will account for more than 90% of lithium demand. But lithium is also found in our phones, computers, ceramics, lubricants, and medications, and it is required for the storage of solar and wind energy.