The reality of Huawei’s uphill struggle is becoming clear, the implications of the US ban on American companies working with the Chinese telecoms firm exposing
The reality of Huawei’s uphill struggle is becoming clear, the implications of the US ban on American companies working with the Chinese telecoms firm exposing its dependence on the West – even as President Trump undermines his own argument for it. What began with Huawei being blocked from using key Android apps, services, and technologies has snowballed into a potentially business-shattering firewall that leaves the Chinese company out in the cold.
First, it was Google and Android. Then came the chip companies, and most recently Huawei was stripped of its membership in the association that controls SD memory cards.
Despite protestations that the situation wasn’t as bad as portrayed, Huawei’s position is looking increasingly shaky. Already, carriers have moved to hold the phone-maker at arm’s length. Citing concerns around the long-term stability and security of its devices, two UK carriers announced earlier this week that they would no longer be including Huawei’s 5G phones in their roll-out of next-generation networks.
It’s a stark reminder that it’s not only software which could prove to be Huawei’s undoing. Losing access to the full version of Android that many are familiar with – including Google’s own custom apps for Gmail, YouTube, and the Google Play store, among others – could, theoretically, be dealt with. Huawei could, after all, release a new OS based on AOSP, the open-source version of Android, and then work on engaging with developers to fill an app store of its own creation.
