TECH

Japanese operators delay launch of Huawei smartphones

US President Donald Trump has decided last week to ban exports of US technology products to certain companies considered "risky" in the face of Huawei.
KDDI and SoftBank Corp., respectively the second and third largest operators in Japan, have explained that they have opted for an adjournment to assess the impact of US sanctions.
On the other hand, industry pioneer NTT Docomo announced that it had "stopped orders" for a model it was planning to launch this summer, without however stating that it would postpone the launch.
SoftBank had originally planned to market a new Huawei terminal on Friday but suspended 'sine die' sale.
"We are looking at whether our customers will be able to use the equipment safely," said a spokesman for the company, Hiroyuki Mizukami, quoted by AFP.
KDDI also made a similar decision, with company spokeswoman Reiko Nakamura explaining that "they are studying the repercussions of the US decision."
As a direct result of Washington's announcement, Google announced on Sunday that it would cut the bridges with Huawei, when the Chinese group depends on the US Internet giant for the Android system, which is installed on most smartphones worldwide.
Without Android, Huawei risks not being able to convince customers to buy branded phones without Gmail (Mail), Maps (Maps) or YouTube (Video Platform) applications, just a few of the best known.
In the face of the concern of US users and companies, the United States agreed to do a 90-day delay before imposing sanctions on Huawei and its partners to adapt.
Present in 170 countries, Huawei is suspected of spying for Beijing, which will have largely contributed to China's international expansion. Lusa Agency