MWC Barcelona: A Tale of Two Huaweis (Premium)

On the ground in Barcelona for MWC, I’m most struck by the looming presence of Huawei, the China-based electronics giant. But there are really two Huaweis here: The consumer electronics firm that delivers superior smartphones and laptops, and the networking infrastructure giant that is so feared by the U.S. government.

Huawei’s fate probably isn’t as uncertain as it seems these days. Even the xenophobic U.S. government has started toning down its warnings about the firm’s ties to the Chinese government and has indicated that it could be included as part of a trade deal. But Huawei and its future do indeed loom over MWC Barcelona, as Mobile World Congress is now called.

Literally, in some cases.

As with many trade shows, MWC Barcelona has its share of gigantic advertisements both at the show itself and spread around its host city. Visiting Placa de Catalunya last night, I was amused to see two overt signs of the show in the form of a temporary Samsung demo building humorously erected across the street from an Apple Store and a gigantic Huawei Mate X ad that wraps around the corner of a building, neatly highlighting the folding design of the product itself.

Bravo for the smart advertising. But Huawei’s more general message at MWC Barcelona is that the firm is necessary, and that our world would be worse off without it. And this is true of both Huaweis, if you will: The consumer electronics giant that is poised to dethrone both Samsung and Apple, and the networking infrastructure giant that is challenging Qualcomm, Intel, and many others.

I can’t speak too much to the networking side of Huawei. But it seems that Huawei will continue to be one of several major players who hardware and services form the basis for the 5G networking infrastructure that will continue to make our planet ever more connected and, as a result, smaller. There will be places where Huawei is locked out. And places where it will not.

The consumer electronics picture is clearer to me.

The ban on Huawei smartphones in the United States is both temporary and inconsequential in that Huawei could still become the biggest handset maker on earth without the U.S. And Huawei is huge in Europe in ways that would confuse most Americans. Huawei’s popularity outside the U.S. is very reminiscent of the Commodore Amiga in the late 1980s and early 1990s and of Nokia in more recent years. I recall visiting Madrid soon after Microsoft and Nokia inked their partnership and was surprised by the ubiquity of Nokia advertising in the city. Every flat surface, it seemed, from bus sides and stops to building, billboards, and storefronts, was covered in Nokia advertising.

Huawei’s presence in Europe probably isn’t quite at Nokia levels yet, but it’s trending in that direction. And while my own anecdotal experiences here in Barcelona could be attributed to the show, Huawei’s broader popularity across the continent, and elsewhere around the world, cannot...