FCC will vote to ban Huawei, ZTE from certifying U.S. wireless equipment

Prevented from accessing its U.S suppliers including Google, and unable to obtain cutting-edge chips without a license, Huawei has managed to make an inspiring comeback in the global smartphone market. Not allowed to use the Google Mobile Services version of Android, Huawei developed HarmonyOS. No Google Play Store? No worries as Huawei AppGallery is created. No ecosystem? Say hello to Huawei Mobile Services.

Last year, Huawei shocked U.S. lawmakers by offering a new flagship line, the Mate 60 series. The phones were the first produced by Huawei to contain a 5G-enabled chip since the Mate 40 line was released in 2020.  Huawei was able to have the Kirin 9000s made by China's largest foundry, SMIC, using technology that is two generations behind TSMC and Samsung Foundry.

The U.S. explains that Huawei is a national security threat which lawmakers and officials say gives it the justification for placing the sanctions against Huawei. And now the FCC is looking to ban Huawei and other companies considered to pose a threat to the U.S. from certifying wireless equipment, according to Reuters. 

This month, the FCC will vote on a bipartisan proposal that prohibits telecommunications certification bodies and test labs used to certify wireless devices heading to the U.S. market from being influenced by foreign firms that are U.S. security concerns. Reuters notes that last week the FCC voted to prevent Huawei's test lab from participating in the U.S. equipment authorization program.

The FCC says that the new proposal will permanently ban Huawei and others that appear on an FCC list of national security threats "from playing any role in the equipment authorization program while also providing the FCC and its national security partners the necessary tools to safeguard this important process." Huawei was considered an accredited lab although the accreditation was set to expire this past Tuesday. The FCC denied the company's request for an extension.

In a statement, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that the FCC "must ensure that our equipment authorization program and those entrusted with administering it can rise to the challenge posed by persistent and ever-changing security and supply chain threats." FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the proposal will "ensure that the test labs and certification bodies that review electronic devices for compliance with FCC requirements are themselves trustworthy actors that the FCC can rely on."