Why Huawei’s smartphones are mostly unheard of in the US
- Technology giants such as Google and Intel have also reportedly cut ties with firm after US President Trump declares national emergency over security concerns
Despite an extremely limited presence in the United States, the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is the second-biggest smartphone maker in the world – after South Korean multinational conglomerate, Samsung – as of the first quarter of 2019.
Huawei's footprint is about to become even smaller in the US, as technology giants such as Google, Intel and Qualcomm have reportedly cut ties with the company.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency over threats against US information and communications technology.
The US Commerce Department also added Huawei to the Bureau of Industry and Security Entity list, which means that any companies wishing to sell or transfer technology to Huawei must obtain government permission.
Google's severed relations with Huawei means that the Chinese tech behemoth will lose access to Android software updates and that its phones sold outside China will not have popular Google apps such as the Play Store and Gmail, Reuters reported.
Top chip makers such as Intel, Qualcomm Broadcom and Xilinx have also stopped supplying Huawei until further notice, Bloomberg said.
However, Huawei's phones have proved to be very popular around the globe, regardless of the fact that they've been difficult to buy in the US.
