US Mobile Carriers Unwilling To Work With Huawei? Mate 9 Might Only Be Sold Through Retailers

Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei will officially bring its new Mate 9 flagship Android smartphone in the United States. However, it looks like the company is facing a huge challenge in convincing U.S. carriers to support the smartphone, and this could certainly hamper Huawei’s effort in penetrating the market.

Over 80 percent of smartphones in the U.S. are distributed by mobile network carriers in the country. Huawei is is the third largest phone maker in terms of shipments just behind Samsung and Apple. Carriers partnering with Huawei seems like a good idea, and yet U.S. carriers are reluctant to work with the manufacturer because of its low brand recognition in the country and security concerns with Huawei’s networking equipment, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

Back in 2012, U.S. Congress recommended that carriers shouldn’t use network equipment from Huawei as it might be a means for China to spy on American citizens. Huawei denied the accusations against them, but it hasn’t stopped carriers from worrying about potential spying by Beijing authority, according to Android Headlines.

Mobile chips being used by Huawei currently don’t comply with the cellular standard used by Verizon and Sprint. If the company tries to change its chips, it would be too costly. T-Mobile is also currently in a patent dispute with Huawei, making a partnership between the two nearly impossible. The only hope that the company has is AT&T which Huawei has already had talks with. There’s no word yet on a deal being made between the two.

Despite all of these issues, Huawei will still be bringing the Huawei Mate 9 in the United States. The company hasn’t revealed a release date just yet, nor has it even provided U.S. pricing for the upcoming device. The Huawei Mate 9 will sell for €699 in Europe which is around $760 USD. Huawei might only be able to sell the Mate 9 through retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, as pointed out by Digital Trends.