Nearly one year ago, US companies were banned from doing business with Huawei due to concerns about national security. That ban was pushed back a few times to allow Huawei support its existing devices and give carriers time to identify alternatives to Huawei networking equipment, and now the ban has been delayed again.
The US Department of Commerce today announced a 45-day delay on its ban on Huawei. The current extension is set to expire on April 1st, but with this latest delay, that date has been pushed back to May 15th.
During this extension, the Department of Commerce is seeking public input on the need for and length of any possible future extensions. Public comments must be submitted by March 25th.
This latest delay means that Huawei has been granted another Temporary General License which is meant to give companies that rely on Huawei equipment and technology the time they need to find alternatives. Some telecom providers rely on Huawei equipment in their networks, particularly those in rural areas, and so this extension means they can continue to operate their networks while they find alternatives to any Huawei tech they're using.
While Huawei has gotten a delay on its ban so that it can support existing devices and so providers can continue to operate their networks, the ban is still having a big effect on Huawei. For example, Google is unable to work with Huawei, which means that new Android phones from can't come preloaded with Google apps like Gmail, YouTube, and the Play Store.
Huawei has put together its own app store as a replacement to the Play Store and has been working to get developers on board, but the lack of Google apps on its new phones is still a detriment.