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| Huawei was hit with a ban that sees it lose partnership with key US based companies like Google Qualcomm, and Microsoft. |
The US had accused Huawei of spying for the Chinese government through its telecommunications equipment, raising security concerns which the US considers serious enough to warrant its latest move against the Chinese company. The US has however, struggle to convince its European allies to take similar actions. The EU which heavily depends on Huawei’s telecom equipments, are already making efforts to begin rolling out of 5G services across the region. Banning Huawei over what they do not consider as threatening as the US portrays it, having conducted their own investigations, would affect the roll of 5G services.
Barely hours after the US' latest move sets the internet and Huawei product users in some sort of panic over the implications of the move, the US has decided to grant Huawei three months license in order for the company to be able to keep sending software updates to its phones despite an effective sales ban in the United States.
According to a report by The Verge, the license, effective today, allows Huawei to take action “necessary to provide service and support, including software updates or patches, to existing Huawei handsets that were available to the public on or before May 16, 2019.” The license will also allow Huawei to maintain its existing network equipment, and to receive security vulnerability disclosures.
Last week, the Trump administration declared a national emergency that allowed the Secretary of Commerce to block technology transactions deemed national security risks. Soon after, the administration effectively blacklisted Huawei, banning any US companies from doing business with the Chinese telecom giant without permission from the American government.
Google soon announced that it would no longer provide Android services for Huawei devices, although it said the company could continue using an open-source version. Google added that the services would also be maintained on existing Huawei devices.
“The Temporary General License grants operators time to make other arrangements and the Department space to determine the appropriate long term measures for Americans and foreign telecommunications providers that currently rely on Huawei equipment for critical services,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. “In short, this license will allow operations to continue for existing Huawei mobile phone users and rural broadband networks.”
Huawei on its part, responded by assuring its base that it, “will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally.”
Where everything goes from here remains to be seen. But Huawei seem to have prepared in advance in the case of the current development which in reality, will negatively affect the company's hope of dethroning Samsung as the world's largest phone maker.