Huawei has enough to look grey: since the end of last week, bad news has been coming in. The firm is directly affected by an order in council which, if not specifically targeted, results in Huawei's total exclusion from the U.S. market. As a result, as early as Monday, it was reported that Google was withdrawing its Android license - the three largest American foundry companies (Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom) also excluded Huawei from their order book. Some European companies would also be on the verge of following suit. This is all we know.
Hostilities between the US government and Huawei took a new turn at the end of the week of May 13, when Donald Trump declared a national emergency to ban Huawei - the US President signed a decree prohibiting US telecommunications companies from sourcing from foreign entities deemed at risk. The decree in question does not name either China or Huawei - but it is intended to allow the United States to take action against "malicious acts promoted by the Internet, including economic and industrial espionage". In fact, Trump wants to make sure that China does not become the world's number one under his presidency.
Huawei banished from the American market and Android: a "foreign opponent", according to the USA
The White House believes that this national emergency is justified because "foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communication technology services and infrastructures in the United States". However, Huawei's American expansion plans had already been abandoned several months earlier. But this new decree definitively prevents any hope that the situation will improve in the short or medium term. Huawei, then denounced "unreasonable restrictions that will infringe on Huawei's rights".
The White House believes that this national emergency is justified because "foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communication technology services and infrastructures in the United States". However, Huawei's American expansion plans had already been abandoned several months earlier. But this new decree definitively prevents any hope that the situation will improve in the short or medium term. Huawei, then denounced "unreasonable restrictions that will infringe on Huawei's rights".
It was also reported that on Wednesday, May 19, Commerce added Huawei to a blacklist of foreign companies for which U.S. companies must obtain federal government approval if they want to have the right to enter into commercial relationships. It was the combination of these two announcements that led to the first disruptions in official trade relations with Huawei.
Huawei will no longer have an Android license in August
Thus on Monday, we learned that Google was officially withdrawing its Android license from the company and its subsidiary Honor. What this implies is that the company will have less easy access to security updates and new versions of Android. But above all, its smartphones will no longer be able to use Google Play and more widely all the applications in the Google suite (Google Maps, Google Photos, etc.).
Thus on Monday, we learned that Google was officially withdrawing its Android license from the company and its subsidiary Honor. What this implies is that the company will have less easy access to security updates and new versions of Android. But above all, its smartphones will no longer be able to use Google Play and more widely all the applications in the Google suite (Google Maps, Google Photos, etc.).
Nevertheless, both Huawei and Google have assured that nothing would change for smartphones already on the market - both in the hands of customers and in stock. They will also continue to receive updates. The real consequences of this announcement will therefore only affect the next generation of Huawei and Honor smartphones. A few hours after the announcement, we learned that Huawei was getting his Android license back for 90 days, with the U.S. Department of Commerce giving him some time off to update his smartphones already released.
However, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei believes in an interview that this delay is unnecessary given the prophylactic measures taken by the company over many months. In another interview, we learn that Huawei is discussing with Google to try to find a legal solution to get the presidential decree annulled and placed on the list of risk entities. The company is also accelerating the development of its in-house operating system, called HongMeng OS.