The American decision to prohibit its companies from doing business with Huaweii is beginning to produce its first effects. On Sunday, May 19, Google restricted the Chinese OEM's access to its Android operating system and the next day, several chip manufacturers stopped deliveries to the company.
As a reminder, on 15 May, US President Donald Trump signed a presidential decree prohibiting US telecommunications networks from sourcing equipment from foreign companies deemed to be at risk (see EUROPE 12256/22). The United States invoked a “national emergency” on the basis of “a number of allegations that Huawei and ZTE, over the years, have been involved in intellectual property theft”.
Following this decree, Google announced its intention to cut off Huawei's access to its services, including within the Android operating system. Huawei access will now be limited to the simplified version of the system, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The company will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services for its existing Huawei and Honor products, already sold or in stock. However, Huawei smartphones could eventually show vulnerabilities that are unrepairable and contain obsolete applications, unless the Chinese manufacturer comes up with its own operating system.
In addition, on May 20, microprocessor giant Intel, chip manufacturer Qualcomm and semiconductor producer Broadcom stopped deliveries to Huawei, confirmed several news agencies. According to the same sources, the German company Infineon, which uses several American components to manufacture its electronic chips and is therefore subject to the same rules as its counterparts in the United States, took the same decision. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)