Huawei is making some of the biggest waves in the wireless industry right now. It’s the world’s No. 1 telecom supplier and No. 2 smartphone maker. Yet it’s a pariah in several countries, including the US, to the point that the FBI reportedly set up a sting at CES 2019.
The Chinese telecom giant may have run into its biggest trouble yet in 2019. Late January saw the US Justice Department unsealed indictments that included 23 counts pertaining to the alleged theft of intellectual property, obstruction of justice and fraud related to its alleged evasion of US sanctions against Iran.
The core issue with Huawei has been concerns about its coziness with the Chinese government and fears that its equipment could be used to spy on other countries and companies. It’s the reason why the US banned companies from using Huawei networking equipment in 2012 and the company was added to the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List on May 15, following an executive order from President Donald Trump effectively banning Huawei from US communications networks.
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What is going on between Huawei and the US?
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Over the last few months, there’s been an upswing in scrutiny of Huawei, with a number of countries banning the use of its networking equipment. That’s why its smartphones are virtually invisible in the US despite its massive presence around the world.
Huawei, for its part, has long denied any wrongdoing and continues to maintain its innocence through the recent charges.
It can be tough to keep pace with the sheer number of headlines, so let’s put what’s happened in 2018 and 2019 in a handy timeline. We’ve put the 2019 events first, with 2018’s below if you want to dive deeper.
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2019
June 7: Facebook stops letting Huawei pre-install its apps, and Google reportedly warns the Trump administration that its Huawei ban creates a national security risk. Also, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition hearing is set for January 2020.
June 6: Russian telecom agrees to let Huawei develop country’s 5G network, while China gives Huawei a boost by issuing 5G licenses.
June 5: Huawei chairman says company would sign a “no-spy” deal with US.
June 4: Huawei trade secrets trial reportedly kicks off in Texas.
June 3: Science publisher IEEE reverses its week-old ban on Huawei scientists reviewing technical papers.
June 2: Huawei reportedly strips back production of phones amid US crackdown.
May 31: Huawei reportedly orders employees to cancel US meetings, mirrors Consumer Technology Association’s criticism of Trump’s plans to impose higher tariffs on imported Mexican goods.
May 30: Huawei membership restored by SD Association and Wi-Fi Alliance, while it quietly launches its 5G lab in the shadow of the US ban. Also, its wearables shipments quadruple in first quarter.
May 29: Huawei asks court to rule US ban unconstitutional.
May 28: Huawei reportedly plans to bring OS to China later this year, internationally in 2020.
May 26: Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder, says he’d “be the first to protest” if China retaliated against Apple.
May 24: Huawei’s operating system may be called “Hongmeng,” while Amazon Japan reportedly stops selling its devices.
May 23: US reportedly accuses Huawei of lying about Chinese ties.
May 22: Chip designer Arm ditches Huawei, while Mate 20 X gets dropped from UK 5G launch.
May 21: Huawei reportedly wants its app store to compete with Google’s.
May 20: Huawei gets a temporary reprieve from the US trade ban, prompting Google to revive work temporarily.
May 19: Google cuts off Huawei phones from future Android updates.
May 16: Huawei says US ban will ‘significantly harm’ American jobs and companies.
May 15: Trump effectively bans Huawei with a national security order.
May 8: 5G rollout may face a delay in UK over Huawei investigations.
May 3: Countries draft 5G security proposals as the US warns again of Huawei’s threat.
May 2: A Huawei leak prompts the sacking of UK defense minister Gavin Williamson.
May 1: Huawei hits 50% growth in phone sales and reportedly has an 8K 5G TV in the works for later this year.
April 30: Vodafone found hidden backdoors in Huawei equipment, according to a report.
April 24: Britain will reportedly allow Huawei limited access to 5G infrastructure. Several days later, China pushes Britain to let Huawei be part of 5G rollout.
April 21: The CIA reportedly says Huawei is funded by Chinese state security.
April 11: Google and Huawei will pay Nexus 6P owners for bootloop issues in class-action lawsuit.
April 9: The US reportedly no longer demands a Huawei ban in Germany.
April 8: Huawei is “open” to selling its 5G chips to Apple, says report.
April 4, 2019: Huawei sets new goals to overtake Samsung and Apple, and MIT severs links with Huawei and ZTE due to US investigations.
March 29, 2019: Huawei slams US for having “a loser’s attitude” because its tech can’t compete.
March 28, 2019: British watchdog warns that Huawei products represent “significantly increased risk.”
March 26, 2019: Huawei launches the P30 and P30 Pro in Paris.
March 19, 2019: Angela Merkel pushes back against US pressure to bar Huawei from Germany’s 5G rollout.
March 15, 2019: Huawei’s CFO wanted to quit before arrest, according to the company’s founder.
March 14, 2019: Huawei is developing its own OS in case it can’t use Android or Windows, report says.
March 12, 2019: US reportedly tells Germany to drop Huawei or it’ll limit intelligence sharing. The Huawei Mate 20 hits 10 million shipped.
March 8, 2019: Huawei sues the US government over its equipment ban.
March 5, 2019: Huawei reportedly calls for international cybersecurity standards.
March 1, 2019: An extradition hearing for Huawei’s CFO gets the go-ahead from Canada, and the US warns the Philippines against using Huawei 5G gear.
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Huawei against the world (The 3:59, Ep. 564)
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Feb. 28, 2019: Chinese kids literally sing Huawei’s praises in surreal video.
Feb. 26, 2019: Samsung and Huawei settle 2-year-old patent dispute.
Feb. 25, 2019: Huawei could face a solar tech ban in the US.
Feb. 24, 2019: Huawei unveils the Mate X foldable phone.
Feb. 22, 2019: Italian politicians reportedly push for Huawei 5G ban.
Feb. 21, 2019: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says countries using Huawei tech pose a risk to the US.
Feb. 20-21, 2019: Ren Zhengfei says that the arrest of his daughter, the company’s CFO, was “politically motivated and that the US treats 5G like “military” tech.
Feb. 19, 2019: Ren tells the BBC “there’s no way the US can crush us.”
Feb. 17, 2019: The UK reportedly concludes that using Huawei in 5G is a manageable risk.
Feb. 6, 2019: US State Department discourages European countries from using Huawei equipment in their 5G rollouts.
Feb. 4, 2019: A report says the FBI raided a Huawei lab and set up a CES sting. Also, two of the company’s staff were expelled from Denmark after a work permit inspection.
Jan. 30, 2019: Qualcomm reaches an interim licensing agreement with Huawei.
Jan. 29, 2019: US hammers Huawei with 23 indictments for alleged trade secret theft and fraud.
Jan. 25, 2019: Colleges reportedly drop Huawei equipment to appease the Trump administration. Also, Huawei says it’ll reveal a foldable phone with 5G in February.
Jan. 24, 2019: Huawei reportedly says it’ll take the smartphone crown from Samsung by 2020.
Jan. 23, 2019: Huawei’s CFO may face formal extradition to the US, report says.
Jan. 18, 2019: China says a Canadian ban on Huawei’s 5G tech will trigger “repercussions.”
Jan. 11, 2019: In Poland, a Huawei employee gets arrested over alleged spying.Three days later, Huawei sacks that employee.
Jan. 8, 2019: Huawei fights to stay in the US with laptops and tablets at CES.
Jan. 4, 2019: Senators introduce a bipartisan bill to address concerns about Chinese tech companies.
Jan. 3, 2019: A report suggests that President Trump may use an executive order to ban Huawei and ZTE purchases.
Read: Huawei could survive without Android, but not very well
2018
Dec. 24, 2018: Huawei exceeds 200 million smartphone shipments.
Dec. 12, 2018: A Canadian court grants Huawei’s CFO $10 million bail.
Dec. 7, 2018: Reuters reports that Japan will stop buying Huawei, ZTE equipment.
Dec. 6, 2018: Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is arrested in Canada at the request of the US.
Dec. 5, 2018: Britain’s BT says it’ll strip Huawei equipment from 4G network by 2021 and won’t use it in 5G core.
Oct. 18, 2018: Huawei tussles with US startup CNEX Labs over theft of technology.
Sept. 7, 2018: Huawei gets caught cheating on a phone benchmark test.
Sept. 5, 2018: In a Senate hearing on Facebook and Twitter, Huawei and ZTE get called out.
Aug. 1, 2018: Knocking off Apple, Huawei becomes the No. 2 phone seller.
July 19, 2018: Huawei crosses 100 million shipments mark for the year to date.
July 11, 2018: Australia says it’ll ban Huawei from 5G rollout amid security concerns.
June 7, 2018: Congress calls out Google over its ties with Huawei.
June 6, 2018: A report reveals that Facebook gave Huawei special access to user data.
May 2, 2018: The Pentagon bans the sale of Huawei and ZTE phones on US military bases.
March 22, 2018: Huawei loses Best Buy as retail partner.
Feb. 13, 2018: FBI Director Chris Wray warns against buying Huawei and ZTE phones.
Jan. 9, 2018: At the Consumer Electronics Show, Huawei CEO Richard Yu addresses the loss of AT&T support.
