Published 13:26 IST, September 17th 2019
Despite US ban, Huawei emerging as tough competitor in tech market
Even after facing the US ban, Huawei is still emerging as a tough competitor in the tech market. Donald Trump banned Huawei products with a security order.
US President Donald Trump banned Huawei products with a national security order on May 15. But long before President Trump started threatening the cutting of Chinese telecom in the US, Huawei's maker invested money to research ways to reduce its need for American supplies. This is the reason that even after facing the US ban, Huawei is still emerging as a tough competitor in the tech market. Huawei's founder also said that instead of leaving the company in ruins, the restrictions in export have made Huawei stronger because it has forced the company's managers to narrow their resources down to their most important products.
The second-largest smartphone brand
Unnoticed to the Americans, Huawei Technologies Ltd is the second-largest smartphone brand in the world and the biggest maker of the switching gear at the core of phone networks. Out of 50 global phone carriers, Huawei equipment is used by 45 of them. The Chinese telecom is also considered as the pioneer in the emerge of next-generation or 5G. The company not only promises speedy internet services but also support futuristic applications like self-driving cars. The 'next generation' approach has ended up raising security concerns in Western countries, making 5G a politically sensitive issue.
The US accused Huawei
The United States accused the company of using aid for Chinese spying. These allegations have so far been denied by Huawei, and the American officials have also not provided any evidence. Huawei was dependent on the US for some innovations like Google services that are available on Android phones. However, the experts of the tech industry believe that the Chinese telecom is self-sufficient. It has already spent 485 billion yuan or $65 billion on research and development in the last ten years. Bengt Nordstorm of North Stream, a research firm in Stockholm said that Huawei has a strategy in place to become completely independent from the US technology. However, their phone sales might suffer as Google services in smartphones are disrupted by the addition of the company to the US Commerce Department's 'entity list'. This list made it compulsory to get permission from the government to buy any kind of American technology.
Updated 14:33 IST, September 17th 2019