US delays Huawei ban for 90 days

A grace period has been granted.

On Monday, news emerged that Google had announced that Huawei would only be able to use the open source Android operating system on their phones in the future under new US regulations. The move came following a declaration of national emergency by US President Donald Trump. The move further escalated the trade war between the United States and China. It has now been announced that the US have issued a 90-day reprieve on their ban, allowing a grace period of almost three months. According to The Washington Post, the 90-day period will allow "certain activities necessary to the continued operations of existing networks and to support existing mobile services." The temporary reprieve will allow Huawei to receive American equipment to service existing Huawei mobile phone users.

Kevin Wolf, a former senior Commerce Department and current partner at Akin Gump, described the reprieve as "very narrow", and said that it's not a relief for exporters.

"It’s not relief for exporters. It really is to prevent unintended operational problems with existing networks," Wolf said.

While current phones are safe under the ban, there is uncertainty surrounding whether Huawei will be able to download future software and security updates on future phones. In a statement on Monday, Huawei said it will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem for users. “Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry. "Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products covering those that have been sold or are still in stock globally. "We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally.”