ZTE may lose Google Android license
The ban imposed on companies in the United States from supplying components to ZTE may also mean that the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is no longer allowed to install Android with Google apps on its smartphones. ZTE is said to be in talks with Google.
According to Reuters, citing a source familiar with the talks, the companies are not yet sure whether ZTE’s use of Android will change. Google and ZTE did not respond to questions from the news agency. The Reuters source claims that the ban imposed in the US on trade with ZTE could also affect the use of Google’s operating system.
A total ban on the use of Android is probably not possible, because the operating system is open source. But the version ZTE is now using includes Google’s apps and services, such as the Play Store. ZTE may no longer be allowed to use it due to the ban and the manufacturer should make its own fork, as Amazon does with its Fire OS, for example.
The US imposed the trade restriction because ZTE failed to comply with imposed disciplinary measures. The penalties were imposed on the Chinese smartphone manufacturer for supplying products to Iran, thereby circumventing US sanctions. Under the ban, US companies are not allowed to supply components to ZTE for seven years.
In addition, Reuters reports that the Federal Communications Commission is working on new measures to further limit the influence of Chinese brands such as ZTE and Huawei on the American market. The FCC would like to stipulate that no money from the FCC Universal Service Fund, which contains $8.5 billion, should go to companies that “pose a threat to the integrity of communication networks.”
The money from the fund is intended, for example, to build connections in rural areas. Although the FCC does not name names, it seems likely that the committee is referring to Chinese brands. Huawei has been under fire in the US for some time, for example, deals with providers were canceled at the beginning of this year due to government pressure. The US government is afraid of espionage through backdoors in telephones and network equipment.