"Chinese groups — including Quectel, Fibocom, China Mobile, Sunsea and MeiG — have more than 70 per cent of the global market." [70 per cent]
The 70% market share figure directly quantifies the structural dependency. The article immediately follows with the espionage mechanism: 'The concerns are particularly acute because the companies must periodically update the software, a process that provides possible ways to engage in espionage or surveillance.'
Reasoning from this article
The article frames cellular modules as a worse dependency than rare earth elements—a comparison that signals recognition of structural asymmetry. Unlike rare earths (extractive, substitutable), modules are embedded in billions of IoT devices with mandatory software update cycles, creating persistent access vectors. The US House China committee's focus and Parton's testimony indicate this is recognized as a systemic vulnerability, not a discrete product risk. This dynamic applies wherever a single adversary controls >50% of a critical connectivity or update mechanism.