The race to 5G wireless tech is on. A Cisco report finds Americans may have an early lead.

A new report from Cisco says that by 2022, fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks will power as many as 9 percent of mobile data connections across North America, compared with 4 percent in Asia. The report underscores the substantial work that countries like China face as they seek to out-develop Western nations. And it reflects US policies that put the United States in a strong position to lead, said Cisco, which makes networking technology. Although the Asia-Pacific region will be home to more than twice the number of 5G devices than North America by 2022, 5G connections will account for a tiny share of the mobile devices in that region, according to Cisco. 5G connections will account for a greater share of mobile devices in Western Europe, about 6.5 percent.