The CEO of Huawei’s consumer business Richard Yu confirmed today that his company is open to selling 5G modems to its archrival Apple, which is in a legal battle with chip designer Qualcomm, previously one of its trusted suppliers for such technology.
“Huawei remains open to selling 5G modem chipsets to Apple,” Yu told reporters after the launch of the company’s latest flagship smartphones. It’s the first time a Huawei executive confirmed the possibility first reported by Engadget on Monday. Huawei launched its 5G modem Balong 5000 in January.
“But the US government is cracking down on Huawei and hence [the sale] would be restricted,” Yu added. The US government is leading a global campaign to prevent the Chinese telecoms giant from gaining access to the 5G markets of its allies citing security concern. A bipartisan bill has been introduced to the US Senate earlier this year could potentially extend an export ban to Huawei.
Apple, meanwhile, is in a protracted legal battle over patent infringement with Qualcomm, which makes the possibility of using the latter’s 5G modem next to zero. Samsung has reportedly refused to sell Apple its 5G modems, leaving Apple with few options.
