The US government has banned the sale and import of communications equipment from Chinese smartphone manufacturers and network providers Huawei and ZTE. They posed an unacceptable risk to national security, the US telecommunications regulator FCC said Friday. “As a result of our order, no new Huawei or ZTE devices can be approved,” FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr wrote on Twitter.
It is also possible to revoke existing permits. It is the “first time in FCC history” that new devices have been banned due to national security concerns.
Biden continued Trump’s policies
The decision comes as no surprise. Last year, US President Joe Biden sealed into law the exclusion of Huawei and ZTE network technology from the US market, continuing his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s policy of economic crime with China.
The law had broad bipartisan support at the time. The FCC now had to vote on the corresponding order within a year for it to be enforced. The US accuses Huawei of close ties to Chinese authorities and warns of espionage and sabotage. The company denies the allegations.
National emergency declared
As president in 2019, amid the smoldering trade war with China, Trump declared a national telecommunications emergency, placing Huawei and numerous subsidiaries on a company blacklist. This meant that US companies could only do business with the Chinese company with a license; This cuts Huawei off from important US technology such as microchips. Chinese Huawei competitor ZTE had previously been restricted.
Due to the American sanctions, Huawei also had to do without pre-installed Google services on new smartphones. This left the Google Play Store for millions of Android apps and many popular apps like Gmail and Google Maps accessible only through a web browser. Other popular apps were completely missing. With the development of a new HarmonyOS operating system, Huawei then tried to limit the damage that the US sanctions had done to the group’s smartphone activities in particular.
In addition to Huawei and ZTE, the FCC’s order also affects devices from Hytera Communications, as well as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology.
Manufacturers already hit hard by sanctions
“Even new devices from Dahua, Hikvision or Hytera cannot be approved unless they assure the FCC that their devices will not be used for public safety, government safety or other national security purposes,” Carr wrote on Twitter. Huawei and ZTE are already heavily hit by US sanctions.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
