Huawei has just three months of Android updates before Google lock-out, US warns
‘The US 90-day temporary licence does not have much impact on us, we are ready,’ claims the founder of the Chinese smartphone giant
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Huawei will have just three months to issue new software updates to its phones and tablets before US trade restrictions block the Chinese tech giant from doing business with Google.
The US Department of Commerce granted Huawei a temporary licence on Monday in order to minimise the disruption to Huawei smartphone owners around the world, however, it will expire on 19 August.
The licence 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 16 May 2019.”
It will also mean Huawei can provide security updates to its existing network, offering a reprieve for telecom operators that use Huawei technology to find new providers.
US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement: “The temporary general licence 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.”
The temporary licence is necessary after the Trump administration placed Huawei on its “Entity List”, which prevents US companies from doing business with it.
Most significantly for Huawei’s smartphone business, Google will no longer be able to provide Android updates and apps to the Chinese firm.
This is also a major blow to Google, as Huawei recently overtook Apple to become the world’s second largest smartphone maker. Only Samsung is ahead of it in the global market.
Huawei claims to have a “plan B” for losing access to Google’s software ecosystem, which includes popular apps like Maps and YouTube.
The crackdown by the Trump administration has been expected for several months, in which time Huawei has been working on its own mobile operating system.
In a series of interviews with Chinese state media on Tuesday, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said the US had underestimated his company’s strength.
“The US 90-day temporary licence does not have much impact on us, we are ready,” he said, adding that the firm’s network capabilities were unrivalled.
“Huawei’s 5G will absolutely not be affected. In terms of 5G technologies, others won’t be able to catch up with Huawei in two or three years.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments