Taiwan bans China-made semiconductors from cable TV boxes, in line with new cybersecurity law
- The move is a further headache for HiSilicon, a unit of Huawei, which has struggled to maintain client relationships amid US trade restrictions
- Cable network providers say they will look to source from American or European semiconductor makers
Taiwan’s telecoms regulator has banned cable television providers from sourcing components made by Chinese firms for use in digital set-top boxes, a move that adds to the woes of Huawei and its chip making arm, HiSilicon.
A spokeswoman at the National Communications Commission (NCC) told the South China Morning Post that digital set-top boxes supplied by cable TV broadcasters in Taiwan can no longer use “chips and wafers of hybrid integrated circuits” that are made in China.
The ban, which applies to chips made by HiSilicon, is a further headache for the company which has struggled to maintain client relationships since the US formally banned Huawei from buying American parts and technologies without seeking approval.
In May, UK-based chip designer ARM told employees it must halt “all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with Huawei and its subsidiaries to comply with US trade restrictions, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, Huawei has been banned from taking part in the 5G network infrastructure build out in the US, Japan, New Zealand.
Huawei’s spokesman in Shenzhen did not respond to an emailed query.
Taiwanese cable TV providers were informed of the ban around March and April, according to a source who is a controlling shareholder at a cable network operator.