Trade war between US and China follows Huawei to Africa
- Washington’s ‘entity list’ trade restrictions are starting to hurt tech giant’s sales
Huawei’s African markets may be the latest casualty in the trade war between the United States and China, with falls in the technology giant’s smartphone market share on the continent.
By putting Huawei on its list, the US has prevented the company from buying parts or technology from American firms without Washington’s approval, although Huawei has been granted two 90-day grace periods this year.
According to International Data Corporation, Huawei’s share of the smartphone market fell to 8.7 per cent in the period, from 11.8 per cent in the previous three months.
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Huawei’s competitors such as China’s Transsion – which trades in Africa under the Tecno, Itel and Infinix brands – and South Korea’s Samsung, increased their market share in the period to 37.4 per cent and 27.4 per cent respectively.
While the pace of 5G roll-out across Africa is glacial, Huawei serves more than half the continent with 4G and has built a presence in 40 of the 54 states since it first arrived in Kenya in 1998.