China’s Huawei Technologies is planning to enter the 5G smartphone market by the end of this year, marking a comeback after a U.S. ban on equipment sales destroyed its consumer electronics sector, according to research firms.
According to three independent technological research organisations covering China’s smartphone market, Huawei should be able to obtain 5G chips domestically utilising its own advancements in semiconductor design tools and chipmaking from Semiconductor Manufacturing International Company.
Due to confidentiality agreements with clients, the firms spoke on the condition of anonymity and cited sources in the sector, including Huawei suppliers.
An entry back into the 5G phone market would be a triumph for the business, which for almost three years said it was only operating in “survival” mode. Revenue from Huawei’s consumer division reached a peak of 483 billion yuan ($67 billion) in 2020 before falling by over 50% the following year.
Prior to rounds of U.S. limitations starting in 2019, the Shenzhen-based tech giant competed with Apple and Samsung to be the largest handset manufacturer in the world. These restrictions restricted its access to chipmaking tools necessary for developing its most cutting-edge models.
Governments in the U.S. and Europe have accused Huawei of posing a security concern; Huawei disputes this. Since then, Huawei has only sold a small number of 5G devices utilising processors that were already on hand.
