Huawei’s Latest Smartphones, Network Gear are “America-Free”
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 02, 2019
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Here’s one thing the U.S. government might not have considered when it banned Huawei from doing business in the country: The Chinese networking and smartphone giant doesn’t necessarily need the U.S. to thrive. In fact, its latest smartphones and 5G networking equipment are now “America-free.”
According to an analysis by UBS and Fomalhaut Techno Solutions and cited first by The Wall Street Journal, the Huawei Mate 30 series of handsets are made entirely without any U.S. parts, a first. The expectation is that all 2020 Huawei smartphones will be made similarly.
And it’s not just handsets.
“All of our 5G [hardware] is now America-free,” Huawei cybersecurity official John Suffolk told the Journal. “We would like to continue using American components. It’s good for American industry. It’s good for Huawei. That has been taken out of our hands.”
The net result is harmful to U.S. component makers, of course: Huawei is the world leader in the networking hardware market and is number two in smartphones. And this change mirrors the effect of Huawei not using software made by U.S. corporations like Google and Microsoft, a situation these tech giants warned the U.S. government about when it blacklisted Huawei: This action will make the U.S. weaker, not stronger, because Huawei and other Chinese tech firms will no longer rely on products and services that originate here.
What this change signifies, of course, replacing hardware components is simpler than replacing core software platforms like Android and Windows. But it’s only a matter of time before China catches up in the software arena. The clock is ticking.
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Conversation 55 comments
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Todd Northrop
<blockquote><em><a href="#493955">In reply to RM:</a></em></blockquote><p>Um, bad news to you maybe, but not to Americans. We don't like Chinese spying here.</p>
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Thom77
<blockquote><em><a href="#494014">In reply to Speednet:</a></em></blockquote><p>I guarantee you Google is spying on me 10000x more then China.</p>
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Todd Northrop
<blockquote><em><a href="#493947">In reply to James_Rainey:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm shaking in my boots.</p>
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PeterC
<p>Yup, way to go USA. In a few short years your erstwhile president has created what China had been trying to do for ages which is encourage its own citizens to consume the products manufactured in China instead of “ perceived” better from the US product. the irony and naivety of it all is hilarious. </p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#493959">In reply to RM:</a></em></blockquote><p>"does really have hacking groups working on attacking the US through the internet successfully and without including Huawei hardware and software"</p><p><br></p><p>Right because "RM" from the Internet knows exactly how the Chinese cyber warfare is run? Do they give you weekly briefings? Even more so than the FBI, CIA and NSA and other top Intel chiefs that recommended not using Huawei or ZTE. Oh and Paul knows better as well.</p><p><br></p><p>I think most people on the side of Huawei are just anti-trump. Obama's administrator recommended the same thing.</p><p><br></p><p>Go read the recent Forbes article on Huawei and then GUESS again.</p>
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Todd Northrop
<blockquote><em><a href="#493975">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>Thank you Stooks, best comment here. 100%.</p>
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Todd Northrop
<blockquote><em><a href="#493993">In reply to Vladimir:</a></em></blockquote><p>OK Vladimir, great story. I suppose Russia is great too, right?</p>
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Todd Northrop
<blockquote><em><a href="#494022">In reply to Vladimir:</a></em></blockquote><p>No, what is suicidal is allowing the Chinese to spy on us through proxy companies like Huawei. I also don't draw a moral equivalency between China and the US like you do. To state that they are "both bad" is very child-like and demonstrates an inability to evaluate intentions. Perhaps you should care more about politics so that you can form more complete opinions on complex adult matters like this.</p>
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Todd Northrop
<p>So I guess the fact that Huawei is forced to build stuff without US parts is somehow viewed as a threat now? As if we should help Huawei spy on ourselves? Or are we just going to kid ourselves and pretend that Huawei is a good company and we are somehow losing out by banning them? Huawei, and to a larger extent China, is certainly a big threat, but not because Huawei is being forced to source from outside the USA. They are a treat because of timid people worrying about what will happen if we actually confront bad actors in the world.</p>
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Thom77
<blockquote><em><a href="#494002">In reply to Speednet:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>US tech companies are WAY more a threat to the US citizenry then Huawei. </p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#494119">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>"As a non-US resident"</p><p><br></p><p>That is all I needed to know.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#494134">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Are you really comparing the two??? </p><p><br></p><p>Yes US Generals/Admirals often take jobs in the defense sector after retirement. They do so to help the company they are working for be successful by using their knowledge of the military and over all government contract/procurement system.</p><p><br></p><p>They are NOT still working for the US government and its goals……like Huawei and its founder are for the Chinese government.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>