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EE puts Huawie’s smartphones ‘on pause’ for its 5G rollout

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Huawei can’t seem to catch a break. EE has announced that it will be dropping Huawei smartphones from its 5G network launch which is set for May 30. EE  has not found any issues with Huawei’s 5G-enabled Mate 20 X, but the company doesn’t want to offer Huawei devices to its customers since it’s not yet clear what support Huawei will be able to offer for the devices since the company will be losing its Android license towards the end of August.

Until we have the information and confidence that ensures our customers will get support for the lifetime of their devices with us, then we’ve got the Huawei devices on pause.

The decision to drop Huawei’s 5G smartphones may not have a huge impact on EE or Huawei’s business, but we could see EE and other service providers drop other 4G Huawei smartphones from their lineups for the same reason. If that happens, Huawei’s smartphone business outside of China would be decimated. While service providers in Europe and around the globe are not as instrumental to smartphone sales as they are in the US, they still account for a high percentage of unit sales.

It is a move that makes sense for now. Lots of uncertainty surrounds 5G in light of the recent security concerns surrounding Huawei. This will have a negative impact on 5G consumer takeup in the short term.

Even though Huawei has a plan-b if it can’t work something out with Google, the company will need to find a solution for its HiSilicon chip business which produces its Kirin Processors since ARM just announced that it is cutties ties with Huawei as well. We’re not sure how Huawei will be able to pull out of this nosedive, but we’re hoping they can find a solution which will allow them to stay in the smartphone game.

Source: The Guardian

Nick Gray
I'm a life-long tech enthusiast who has a soft spot for HTC. After writing about tech for more than a decade, I jumped at the opportunity to take on the role of Editor in Chief at Phandroid. Please contact me at [email protected].

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