Has Verizon’s plan to sell Huawei phones been squashed too?

By Andy Boxall January 30, 2018

mate 10 pro — Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Verizon has been pressured into canceling its plans to launch Huawei smartphones by the U.S. government, say anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg. The rumored decision comes several weeks after AT&T pulled out of a similar deal, apparently for similar reasons, and with potentially similar problems related to the development of a 5G network.

While AT&T was likely to carry the Huawei Mate 10 Pro almost immediately after announcement, Verizon was rumored to be the second stage in Huawei’s grand plan to become better known in the United States, and phones that worked on its network would be introduced in the summer. These rumors now make any launch seem very unlikely.

Huawei will still sell the Mate 10 Pro in the U.S. from February 4, when it will be available for pre-order through Amazon, Best Buy, Microsoft stores, and several others. However, without the backing of a carrier it faces an uphill struggle to gain much needed brand recognition, and lacks the ability for people to buy a subsidized version of the $800 smartphone. Huawei chief executive Richard Yu said the Mate 10 Pro not being available with a network was a big loss for consumers, carriers, and Huawei itself.

Outside of this, there are concerns these decisions will impact the widespread development and adoption of 5G networks. A 5G version of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro may arrive in 2019, say Bloomberg’s sources, while the company is also a leader in essential network infrastructure equipment that could speed up the launch of a 5G network. Blacklisting Huawei — and competing Chinese brand ZTE — blocks the use of its equipment and expertise in the area.

A U.S. launch on AT&T and Verizon wouldn’t be the first time Huawei left China. It already sells devices on networks and through partners all around the world. It has consistently been one of the top three smartphone manufacturers globally, and research in September 2017 showed at one point it passed Apple to become world number two. To attain its goal of becoming the number one smartphone manufacturer in the world, it needs to increase sales in North America, India, and some other regions. For now, this won’t happen without a carrier deal locked down in the United States.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Moto G Power 5G adds a flagship feature to a budget phone

Render of the Motorola Moto G Power 5G in a white color against a light purple background.

Motorola may be making a play for the flagship market with the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, but budget phones are what the American monolith is best known for. While it won't be making as many waves as the latest Samsung phone or Apple iPhone launch, the newest iteration of the Moto G is always something worth paying attention to, as Motorola is a true veteran of the space and knows what makes an excellent cheap device.

Best of all, this new Moto G comes at a time when budget phone enthusiasts have never had it so good. Previously premium features are filtering down into lower-priced devices, without altering that sweet low price or the features everyone loves. That's exactly what's happening with the new Motorola Moto G Power 5G, which includes a 50-megapixel main camera lens, a larger amount of storage, and a big screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. With the big 5,000mAh battery the G Power range is known for, this could be the $300 phone to grab if you love a budget bargain.
Super-smooth motion

Mobile

The 15 most important smartphones that changed the world forever

Huawei P30 Pro and P30

If there’s any piece of technology that has made a significant impact on the lives of everyone, it’s the cellular phone — specifically, the smartphone. It’s literally a tiny computer that fits into your pocket, and brings a plethora of information, entertainment, and lets you capture visual memories or be productive wherever you go. Pretty much everyone has a smartphone these days, for better or for worse.

But have you ever thought about which smartphones have been the most important and influential ones that shaped the rest of the industry? Let’s take a look at what we consider to be the most important smartphones of all time.
iPhone (2007)

Mobile

What is 5G UW? The real meaning behind the icon on your phone

Woman holding up smartphone with speed test results on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network.

You've probably noticed that there's been much more hype around 5G than for any of the wireless technologies that came before. Some of that is just marketing, of course; we are living in an increasingly connected era, and there are far more people toting smartphones now than there were in 2012 when 4G/LTE was just beginning to go mainstream. However, it's also not an exaggeration to say that with considerably faster speeds and the ability to handle many more devices, 5G is a much bigger step into the next stage of global connectivity. You've also probably noticed it yourself with a "5G UW" icon at the top of your phone.

As with most new technologies, 5G comes with some new challenges for both carriers and consumers. One of the most significant of these has been working out the best way to deploy 5G services across the much wider range of frequencies that it's capable of operating on. This wasn't nearly as significant a problem in the days of 3G and 4G/LTE services, which all operated in a much narrower range of radio spectrum.