Huawei Gets Kicked in the Teeth by the British
The U.K. is a bellwether for the 5G mobile handset market, so the decision by two of its biggest operators not to offer Huawei phones is a real blow.
Just when you thought things couldn't get much worse for Huawei.
Photographer: TOLGA AKMEN/AFPWhen it comes to 5G-enabled smartphones, Britain is a pretty decent bellwether: It’s one of just five countries currently rolling out the new mobile standard. So the decision by BT Group Plc, the U.K.’s former national carrier, not to offer 5G handsets made by Huawei Technologies Co. augurs badly for the beleaguered Chinese telecoms firm’s consumer aspirations. The mobile operator Vodafone Group Plc followed suit.
It’s telling too that of those five pioneering 5G countries – which include the U.S., China, Switzerland and South Korea – Britain is the one you’d expect to be most neutral about whether or not to sell Huawei handsets.