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Report: Verizon cancels plans to sell HUAWEI phones in the US
- Bloomberg reports that Verizon has dropped plans to sell HUAWEI phones in the US.
- Verizon is said to have been pressured by the US government to call off the deal over security concerns.
- The news follows soon after AT&T also canceled its HUAWEI partnership plans, apparently on the same grounds.
Verizon has cancelled plans to sell HUAWEI phones in the US, according to speculation from Bloomberg. The news site’s sources indicated that pressure from the US government prompted Verizon’s decision, which stands to set HUAWEI’s US expansion goals back once again.
Verizon had been expected to launch phones such as the Mate 10 Pro on its network in the summer following its release in online channels on February 4. However, HUAWEI’s alleged links to the Chinese government raised security concerns.
This news follows soon after the breakdown of the AT&T and HUAWEI sales partnership that would have also seen the carrier stock the Mate 10 Pro. Only days before HUAWEI was set to announce their plans on stage at CES, the US Senate and House intelligence committees wrote to the FCC warning it of the potential threat HUAWEI posed. This is said to have pushed AT&T to call off the deal—something which HUAWEI’s head of consumer products Richard Yu said was a “big loss for consumers.”
According to Bloomberg, some US security services “fear that 5G phones made by companies that may have close ties to the Chinese government could pose a security risk.” HUAWEI has previously been linked to Chinese cyber-espionage, but the company has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers have apparently asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to investigate “Huawei’s plans to sell consumer gear in the US,” said the Bloomberg, citing a congressional letter it obtained.
Both Verizon and HUAWEI denied the news site’s request for comment.