President Trump extends ban on the use of Huawei network equipment in the US

US President Donald Trump has extended the decree prohibiting US telecom companies from using Huawei and ZTE network equipment by one year. The decree was due to expire this week.

The decree declares a state of emergency to allow the president to control which equipment providers use in their networks, and that state of emergency will now last until May 2021, Trump reports. The decree is separate from the trade ban for US companies to do business with Huawei; this is only about network equipment.

The extension is necessary because the situation is the same as a year ago, according to the American president. “This threat continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States,” Trump said.

Trump signed the decree in May last year. Smaller providers in the US in particular used Huawei equipment. The decree came almost simultaneously with the ongoing ban on US companies from trading with Huawei. As a result, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer cannot use Google services for smartphones.