Huawei US Ban Extended Until May 2021; No Google Services for Another Year
May. 14, 2020First reported byReuters, the Trump administration has extended the executive order that bans US companies from doing business with companies deemed to be a national security risk. The order doesn’t outright name any companies but we all know that it’s aimed at Chinese electronics giants like Huawei and ZTE.
The original order was issued over a year ago, which barred Huawei to sell its network equipment in the US. It also prohibited the company to work with Google and ARM toprovide Google appsand the latest chipsets respectively on its newest devices. Huawei, however, has been granted a temporary license since the ban went into effect. This is to ensure that existing 4G and 5G hardware installed in the US remains unaffected.
Reuters further mentions that the US Commerce Department is expected to extend the Chinese giant’s license yet again. It is currently unknown whether it would still be the same90-day temporary licenseor a more permanent one (at least 1 year) that the Wireless trade association CTIA has been pressing the government for.
Huawei’s international presence (and market share) has taken a nosedive due to the lack of Google services onboard. The company has launched its alternative to Google Play Store, called Huawei App Gallery, and is enticing developers with an attractive revenue sharing package. It has developed its own Maps and Cloud APIs, launched Harmony OS, and more to counter the ban. But, in the end, Huaweistill desiresthat Google services find their way to its smartphones. Sadly, it does not seem possible for at least another year though.
