U.K. cell phone network operators EE and Vodafone are temporarily putting the launch of 5G smartphones from Huawei on hold. The news comes as the U.S. places renewed political pressure on the Chinese telecommunications giant.

EE, which is owned by British telco BT, said it would put the launch of Huawei’s 5G devices on pause until it receives the “information and confidence” needed to support its customers.

“When that information changes, then we’ll move forward and hopefully launch them, but for now we’ve put that on pause,” EE CEO Marc Allera said Wednesday.

An EE spokesperson subsequently told CNBC the firm was working with Huawei and Google to “make sure we can carry out the right level of testing and quality assurance.”

Vodafone, meanwhile, subsequently confirmed reports that it would not be accepting pre-orders for Huawei’s 5G-enabled Huawei Mate 20 X in the U.K.

“This is a temporary measure while uncertainty exists regarding new Huawei 5G devices,” a Vodafone spokesperson told CNBC. “We will keep this situation under review.”

A spokesperson for Huawei said it recognized the pressure its partners are facing amid “politically motivated decisions.”

“We are confident this regrettable situation can be resolved and our priority remains to continue to deliver world-class technology and products to our customers around the world.”
EE is set to launch its 5G service in the U.K. next Thursday, meaning it will be the first British cell phone operator to do so.

The race toward 5G has become a massive battleground for major telecommunications companies, with U.S. giant Verizon rolling out its next-generation network for smartphones earlier this year.

That race has been complicated however by increasing pressure from Washington on Huawei, the top telecom equipment maker worldwide. Huawei is considered a leader in 5G, but U.S. officials are concerned its equipment could be used for Chinese espionage, a claim the firm denies.

President Donald Trump’s administration recently added Huawei to a trade blacklist that means it can’t buy U.S. technology before gaining special approval from the government. The U.S. did, however, relax those restrictions temporarily, giving mobile and internet broadband firms a 90-day reprieve to continue working with Huawei.

Google initially decided to stop licensing its Android mobile operating system to Huawei, only to then say it would continue sending software updates to the Shenzhen-based firm’s phones, following the announcement of temporary exemptions.

Francisco Jeronimo, associate vice president for European devices at IDC, said network carriers likely “don’t want to sell a device that will not provide the full Android experience to their customers.”

“If there’s no solution to this case, I wonder if operators and retailers will start taking Huawei devices off the shelves and reduce the investment they are putting into Huawei devices.”

Source: cnbc.com

[caption id="attachment_5151" align="alignnone" width="300"] Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana[/caption]

CEOs of MTN and Vodafone have intensified calls for local companies to leverage new trends in technology at the 3rd Africa Rising Conference by the International Advertising Association (IAA).

The 3rd Africa Rising Conference by the International Advertising Association ended with companies and business executives exposed to various business opportunities in the latest technology trends.

CEOs of MTN and Vodafone Ghana respectively, who were keynote speakers at the final day’s conference, say technology must be harnessed to solve existing challenges faced Ghana and the African continent.

[caption id="attachment_5448" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mr. Selorm-Adadevoh-CEO-MTN-Ghana[/caption]

Answering the question on whether Africa is playing catch-up in today’s digital age, Selorm Adadevoh argues that even though Ghana and other African economies are embracing technology, much is not being done to solving issues of poverty and infrastructure deficit with technology.
“It’s great to see these innovations coming up from the needs that we have and used in existing concepts to drive this innovation. A lot of our resources are so powerful but so little is done in that space. The questions we should be how best we can’t take technology to answers Africa's new problem,” he stated.

Meanwhile, CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, has warned companies against prioritizing technology at the neglect of customer service.
She has been explaining how companies risk losing their worth in the digital space should they forget the power of customer service.

“It’s so important that we put the customer first. We think sometimes that the people we deem customers are the people we should target but there’s a large niche involved,” she said.

Both CVAs partook of the 3rd Africa Leadership Conference which was themed; Technology Trends VRS Consumer Choice, Who’s determining the future?

The 3rd Africa Leadership Conference a gathering of current and future business leaders. It was under the theme – Technology Trends VS Consumer Choice – Who’s determining the future?

Source: myjoyonline.com

Vodafone Idea signed an agreement with Hyundai Motor’s India subsidiary to provide advanced connectivity for the automaker’s recently launched Venue SUV.

The operator entered into an exclusive partnership with Hyundai AutoEver India and will work as its digital partner to manage the connectivity lifecycle of the car, Vodafone Idea said in a statement. It will integrate eSIMS with voice; 3G and 4G data; SMS; and secure APN services to enable tracking of the vehicles as well as real-time exchange of data.

Nick Gliddon, Vodafone Idea’s chief enterprise business officer, said it spent the last 18 months working closely with Hyundai AutoEver India to make connected cars a reality in the country, adding such vehicles “are set to change the way we commute and interact with our vehicles. It is true digital disruption”.

Oh Woo Jin, Hyundai AutoEver India MD, said it is debuting a system dubbed Blue Link Connected in the Venue, making it the first smart connected car in India.

Blue Link Connected offers services covering safety, security and vehicle relationship management functions. Features include crash notification; roadside assistance; panic notification; stolen vehicle tracking; climate control; maintenance alerts; and live traffic information.

Source: mobileworldlive.com

UK-based chip designer Arm reportedly became the latest company to suspend business with Huawei, in what would be the biggest blow yet to the Chinese vendor.

BBC News reported it obtained internal documents in which Arm instructed its employees to halt all active contracts, support and “any pending engagements with Huawei”, to comply with a recent US ban against the company.

Arm, which was acquired by Japan-based SoftBank in 2016, is headquartered in the UK but employs 6,000 workers across eight offices in the US.

In its note to staff, Arm said its products contain “US origin technology”, meaning it has a duty to comply with the ban.

Chip concerns
If true, Arm’s decision could have crippling affects on Huawei’s smartphone business, as it would impact the company’s capabilities to develop its own mobile chips.

While Arm does not manufacture chips, it provides technology vital to the running of processors under licence.

Huawei sources some of its mobile chips from HiSilicon, which it owns. But HiSilicon’s chips, including Huawei’s forthcoming Kirin 985 processor, are built using Arm’s technology.

The Kirin 985, which is to be used in upcoming Huawei devices is not expected to be affected by Arm’s ban, BBC News stated, but a source said the next iteration of the chip may have to be built from scratch.

In a tumultuous week already for the vendor and its smartphone business, Google said it will limit Huawei’s use of its Android operating system and other services.

CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber told BBC News an Arm ban would be “an insurmountable obstacle for Huawei”.

Source: mobileworldlive.com