Huawei plans to launch a high-end phone in the context of Google's ban



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Huawei Technologies plans to go ahead with the launch of new high-end smartphones in Europe, even though it may not be able to offer the system for the future. Google's official Android operation and widely used applications such as Google Maps, said company officials at Reuters.

The world number two smartphone is about to unveil its new range of phones Mate 30 September 18 in Munich, according to a source close to the record, although the time of the sale of these devices is not yet known.

The Mate 30, designed to run on new 5G mobile networks, is the first major smartphone launch since the administration of US President Donald Trump actually put the company on a blacklist in the mid-to-late May, claiming that she was involved in activities that undermine the national security of the United States. the company denies.

A Google spokesman told Reuters that the Mate 30 could not be sold with licensed Google applications and services due to the ban on the sale by the United States to Huawei. The temporary bailout announced by the US government last week does not apply to new products such as the Mate 30, the spokesman said.

US companies can apply for a license for specific products to be exempted from the ban. Google, which is part of Alphabet Inc, did not say whether it had applied for a license to offer its applications and services, known as Google Mobile Services, although it had previously said it would continue to provide Huawei.

Reuters announced this week that the US Department of Commerce has received more than 130 applications for US product license licenses to Huawei, but none has been accepted.

The uncertainty surrounding Mate 30 reflects the confusion that prevails for Huawei and its trading partners following the intensification of the trade war between China and the United States. While Huawei's blacklist was created to address security concerns, President Trump said it could be lifted under a trade deal.

"Huawei will continue to use the Android operating system and ecosystem if the US government allows us," Huawei spokesman Joe Kelly told Reuters. "Otherwise, we will continue to develop our own operating system and our own ecosystem."

The Commerce Department declined to comment.

NO GOOGLE, NO SALES?

Huawei can probably use an open-source version of Android without falling under the US ban they are prohibited. But Google's apps can only be used in Europe under a paid license from the search giant. The license outside Europe is free.

"Without Google services, nobody will buy this device," said independent analyst Richard Windsor. Google software is normally pre-loaded on Android devices.

Huawei announced earlier this month its own mobile operating system, dubbed Harmony. But analysts and Huawei executives are skeptical that it represents a viable alternative to Android.

In recent years, Huawei has quickly reached the top of the global smartphone market with highly reputable hardware, and Europe has been a key market.

But the US ban dealt a hard blow to sales outside China, with Huawei's market share in Europe rising from 24.9% in the first quarter to 19.3% in the second quarter. Counterpoint Research.

Just last week, Huawei's senior executives took a confident tone regarding Android and Google.

"Our new phones will still be based on Android," said Vincent Pang, vice president and director of Huawei's board of directors, at the summit of One World Trade Center in New York, a symbol of American perseverance.

"We want to maintain a standard, an ecosystem, a technology," he said.

THE CHIPS IN THE GAP

Huawei is confident that other new phone hardware will comply with US law.

The brain of the Mate 30 range, the Kirin 990 chipset, will be officially unveiled on September 6th by Richard Yu, Huawei's Chief Consumer Officer, when he delivers the opening speech at IFA Consumer Tech in Berlin.

The Kirin 990 was developed by HiSilicon, the Huawei chipset, based on the plans of UK chip designer ARM Holdings, owned by the Japanese company SoftBank.

ARM has severed its relationship with Huawei after the US ban because its designs contain a technology of US origin. But a source close to Huawei's plan said his ARM license was based on work that preceded Huawei's blacklist.

Huawei said last week that he had a perpetual license on the ARMv8 license and that chips based on it, including the Kirin 990, would not be affected by the ban.

ARM declined to comment on its relationship with Huawei, stating that "ARM continues to comply with the latest restrictions of the US Department of Commerce and we adhere to guidelines for authorized, technical or other types of conversations."

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.

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