HUAWEI announced today (4 March 2020) that they successfully completed the first live trial of their 800G optical transport network with China Mobile in Zhejiang.
This moves HUAWEI one step closer to the commercialisation of their 800G optical transport network solution, which will support 5G, big data and cloud computing in China.
HUAWEI Completes 800G Optical Transport Trial In Zhejiang!
The HUAWEI 800G optical transport solution promises to meet China Mobile (Zhejiang)’s large-capacity transmission requirements for tens of millions of users.
It achieves this by delivering up to 48 Terabits per second of bandwidth per-fibre – which is 6 times the capacity of traditional 100G networks, allowing it to support 1 million concurrent 4K video streams.
HUAWEI reported that the first live test of their 800G optical transport solution, using two data centres 80 kilometres apart, was successful.
Simon Lu, President of Huawei’s Transmission Network Domain, said, “We are delighted to have completed the first operator-based 800G trial with China Mobile (Zhejiang).
This is a milestone in the global commercial use of Huawei’s 800G solution. Huawei will continue investing in R&D to provide high-quality, reliable, and evolvable solutions while helping China Mobile (Zhejiang) achieve greater business success.”
HUAWEI 800G Optical Transport Trial : Why It Matters
The deployment of such 800G high-capacity transport solutions will greatly increase the capacity and efficiency of China Mobile (Zhejiang)’s optical networks.
This will be important in the next five years as new technologies like 5G, cloud computing, big data and AR/VR become more common, and require more bandwidth.
China Mobile (Zhejiang) states that they plan to strengthen its cooperation with HUAWEI to “build more efficient optical networks, and provide high-quality connection services“.
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The AirAsia Unlimited Pass promises UNLIMITED AIR TRAVEL to five countries, for a whole year!
But frankly speaking – the AirAsia Unlimited Pass is A WASTE OF MONEY, unless you fit a certain set of criteria.
Find out if you fit that small set of criteria, because if you don’t – do NOT sign up for the AirAsia Unlimited Pass!
AirAsia Unlimited Pass : What Is It?
Stung by the Airbus bribery scandal and the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, the AirAsia Unlimited Pass promotion is their effort to stem the bleed.
From 29 February to 7 March 2020, AirAsia BIG Members can purchase the Unlimited Pass which would give them the right to purchase tickets to seven sectors, as many times as they wish – for a year :
Australia
Japan
Korea
China
Taiwan (only Taipei) *thanks for the heads-up, Goldfries!
That sounds like an AWESOME deal, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want unlimited air flights to all five countries for a whole year?
However, AirAsia threw in so many caveats, the Unlimited Pass is almost useless… unless you are willing to put up with the hassle.
AirAsia Unlimited Pass : TLDR Advice
For those who don’t have the time to read, here is our quick summary of what you need to know :
COVID-19 will prevent / discourage you from using the Unlimited Pass for many months.
You are limited to flights over 4 hours, and only with the D7 or XJ carrier codes.
You are NOT guaranteed tickets, because there are limited promo seats on each flight.
The Unlimited Pass also may not apply during peak periods like weekends, public holidays and school holidays.
Families should NOT bother with the Unlimited Pass. Holidays should be fun, not torture.
You must be willing to book your ticket, and be seated, separately from anyone you are travelling with.
It is best purchased and used by retirees, or singles / couples who have flexible working arrangements and can travel on working days.
AirAsia Unlimited Pass : Why It’s A Waste Of Money
Reason #1 : Remember COVID-19?
Four of those five countries are in the throes of fighting COVID-19, and it is unlikely that India won’t be affected soon. And the COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading, not receding.
So how likely do you think you will be travelling to those countries over the next 12 months, even if there is no travel ban?
IMHO, many people will not be travelling (voluntarily) to China, Korea, Japan and Australia in the next 6 months… at the very least.
Reason #2 : You’re NOT Guaranteed A Flight
With tourism falling off the cliff over the next few months, not only will people cancel their flights, so will airlines.
Even if you are fearless, it doesn’t mean AirAsia will be fearless as well, or stupid enough to fly an almost empty plane just because you insist on flying.
As stated in their rules (see below), buying the Unlimited Pass does NOT guarantee you to a flight. It is up to them to decide whether you qualify for a flight to your destination.
Reason #3 : Severe Limitations On Tickets
It’s stated in their Q&A (conveniently located in a separate page) that :
tickets are limited, and not available for all flights or destinations, or time periods, especially public holidays, school breaks and weekends.
only long haul flights of over 4 hours with the carrier code D7 or XJ are allowed.
you can only buy it for direct flights, no connecting flights allowed.
every passenger must book the flight individually – you cannot book as a group, even if everyone has the Unlimited Pass.
you must be 12 years or older, and have your own BIG Member account.
These limitations are designed to reduce your ability to fly as often as you would like using the AirAsia Unlimited Pass. Families, for example, must be willing to be seated separately.
Unless you are single or a couple, and able to travel during work days, you may not even have the opportunity to use the AirAsia Unlimited Pass at all!
Flying as a group will be problematic, because there are limited seats available for the Unlimited Pass.
What will likely happen is that a few members of your group will be able to use their Unlimited Pass, while the others will have to pay full price for their tickets.
The way out would be to split the group up, and fly on separate flights. But obviously, this makes travel much more of a hassle.
And remember – even if you get to fly out with the Unlimited Pass, you may not get to do so on the way back. You may have to pay full price, unless you are able and willing to adjust your return date according to what’s available for the Unlimited Pass.
Reason #5 : Fuel, Baggage + Other Fees
Even if you manage to several flights using the Unlimited Pass, they aren’t free. You will still need to cough up extra money for ancillary fees.
Budget airlines like AirAsia make a large percentage of their profits not from flight tickets, but from ancillary revenue – administrative fees, baggage fees, assigned seat fees, flight insurance, cancellations, documentation, meals, merchandise, fuel surcharges, etc.
In Q3 2019, almost a quarter of AirAsia’s revenue came from such ancillary sources – a whopping RM 686 million. And unlike revenue from flight tickets – they have relatively low costs – and so they contribute substantially to the airline’s PROFITS.
Frequent AirAsia travellers will also tell you that these ancillary fees often cost as much as, or even more, than the flight tickets!
AirAsia Unlimited Pass : Who Should Buy It?
Based on the severe restrictions AirAsia places on the Unlimited Pass, the best people to buy it should meet these requirements :
retired, single or a couple
able to travel on normal working days
would like to travel to those 5 countries
willing to put up with booking / travel hassles
Everyone else should not bother. Really. Travel should be fun, not a torture.
And we should point out that the target group above can often get free or heavily discounted flights on AirAsia without the Unlimited Pass. Thanks for the screenshots, Nigel!
So all the Unlimited Pass does is “force” you to travel more on AirAsia – they won’t make money from your flights, but they will make their money from your ancillary fees.
AirAsia Unlimited Pass : The Caveats
AirAsia conveniently lists the caveats of the Unlimited Pass in two sections in a separate Q&A page, which we have combined and summarised here (with our emphasis) :
It is only applicable on direct long haul flights of over 4 hours with carrier code D7 & XJ.
It excludes flights to Bali, Singapore, Jeddah and all Fly-thru routes. Embargo period applies.
Flight redemption is limited and may not be available for all flights, all destinations including public holidays, school breaks and weekends.
Promotions which are applicable for bookings made via airasia.com and AirAsia Mobile App are limited to regular base fare only and shall not include Premium Flex or Value Pack bundled category.
All applicable taxes, fees or charges imposed by the regulatory bodies must be paidat the time of purchase unless otherwise stated.
It is available for BIG Members within Malaysia who are at least 12 years of age on the date of departure and the passenger must be the BIG Member who made the booking. Each AirAsia Unlimited Pass is assigned to one (1) passenger only with one (1) BIG Member account.
You can only book for yourself, and cannot select multiple passengers using the AirAsia Unlimited Pass.
In the event any travel agency or party other than an individual BIG Member purchased the AirAsia Unlimited Pass and subsequently made flight bookings using the AirAsia Unlimited Pass, AirAsia shall have the right to cancel/forfeit such AirAsia Unlimited Pass and the flight bookings, without any liability on the part of AirAsia to such agency, third party or any passenger.
AirAsia reserves the right to cancel or forfeit your Unlimited Pass, if you miss more than three (3) flights.
The AirAsia Unlimited Pass cannot be sold, bartered, assigned or transferred to another person. Any attempt to transfer the AirAsia Unlimited Pass or book travel using the AirAsia Unlimited Pass for someone other than the holder of the AirAsia Unlimited Pass will result in immediate forfeiture of the AirAsia Unlimited Pass.
Upon purchasing the AirAsia Unlimited Pass, the passenger shall have the right to book and fly on AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X flights to Australia, India, China, Korea and Japan for an unlimited number of times, subject to full and final payment of any applicable airport charges, taxes and regulatory fees, or other charges.
Use of the AirAsia Unlimited Pass will not earn any BIG Points, and flights flown using the AirAsia Unlimited Pass will not count towards any offers or bonuses. Redemption of BIG Points is also not allowed for the purchase of the AirAsia Unlimited Pass.
When purchasing the AirAsia Unlimited Pass, passengers must ensure their details in the BIG Member account (i.e. name and date of birth) are as per passport or identity card. These details will be used for booking during the redemption process.
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A new JAMA-published study by Dawei Wang et al reveals the key symptoms of patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Their study will serve as a useful guide for clinicians and public health officials trying to differentiate it from influenza.
Note : This article was originally published on 9 February 2020, and was updated and republished due to reader interest.
COVID-19 | SARS-CoV-2 : A Quick Explainer
First of all, we should clarify that SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of 2019-nCoV, in recognition of how closely it resembles the SARS virus, genetically.
The disease it causes is called COVID-19, which is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019).
COVID-19 should be used when you refer to the disease, and SARS-CoV-2 when referring to the virus. But for ease of understanding, we may use COVID-19 coronavirus to replace SARS-CoV-2.
It looked at the clinical characteristics of 138 patients who were hospitalised at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, from 1 January to 28 January 2020.
Top 5 Symptoms Of COVID-19 Coronavirus Patients
Their study showed that fever is the chief symptom, and there were very few reports of headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.
Dry cough was reported by just over half the patients, and only about ⅓ reported muscle pain. And no one reported a runny or stuffy nose.
This will help to clinically differentiate COVID-19 from the far more common influenza.
Here are the top 5 symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus that the study identified from those 138 patients :
Top 5 Symptoms
No. Of Patients
% Of Patients
Fever
136
98.6%
Fatigue
96
69.6%
Dry Cough
82
59.4%
Myalgia
(Muscle Pain)
48
34.8%
Dyspnea
(Shortness of Breath)
43
31.2%
Top 5 Symptoms Of COVID-19 Coronavirus Patients Requiring ICU Care
Interestingly, they also looked at the symptoms that are more common in patients who ended up requiring ICU care.
They are more likely to lose significant weight and suffer shortness of breath, compared to patients who did not require ICU care.
Here are the top 5 symptoms in patients requiring ICU care. Note that a P value of < 0.05 is considered statistically significant.
Symptoms
ICU
Non-ICU
P Value
Anorexia
66.7%
30.4%
< 0.001
Dyspnea
(Shortness of Breath)
63.9%
19.6%
< 0.001
Dizziness
22.2%
4.9%
0.007
Pharyngalgia
(Pain in Pharynx)
33.3%
11.8%
0.003
Abdominal Pain
8.3%
0.0%
0.02
Dr. Li Wenliang, one of 8 doctors who blew the whistle on the Wuhan coronavirus
COVID-19 Coronavirus : What Treatments Did The Chinese Try?
The study also looked at the treatments the Chinese tried with those 138 patients.
While they noted that many patients received antibiotic cover, the key treatments they trialed against the Wuhan coronavirus were Tamiflu (oseltamivir), oxygen support, and glucocorticoid therapy.
Treatment
No. Of Patients
% Of Patients
Antiviral (Oseltamivir)
124
89.9%
Oxygen
106
76.8%
Glucocorticoid
62
44.9%
Just before the report was released, they did a final follow-up on 3 February 2020, and found that :
47 patients (34.1%) recovered, and had been discharged
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Here are the scientifically and medically-recommended ways to protect yourself against the COVID-19 virus. Please ignore the many FAKE NEWS and FAKE ADVICE!
Please read and SHARE this article with your family and friends, and please ignore trolls who tell you that Vitamin C or rasam will cure or prevent infection by this virus!
COVID-19 | SARS-CoV-2 : A Quick Explainer
First of all, we should clarify that SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of 2019-nCoV, in recognition of how closely it resembles the SARS virus, genetically.
The disease it causes is called COVID-19, which is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019.
COVID-19 should be used when you refer to the disease, and SARS-CoV-2 when referring to the virus. But for ease of understanding, we may use COVID-19 coronavirus to replace SARS-CoV-2.
Face masks are generally worn for fashion, although their users may believe that they can filter out dust. They are usually reusable, being made from washable cotton, and often lack a filter.
A proper 3-ply surgical or medical mask, on the other hand, has three layers – each with very specific functions :
an outer hydrophobic layer, which repels water, blood and body fluids,
a middle filter layer that is designed to filter bacteria, and
an inner hydrophilic layer, which absorbs water, sweat and spit
There are also 2-ply face masks that are usually made from the same material – fabric or polypropylene or other kinds of non-woven material. There is NO FILTER layer. These are usually used in the spa or food industry.
Finally, we have N95 respirators that are designed to form a tight seal over your mouth and nose, and will filter 95% of particles with a median diameter of 0.3 microns.
However, a new CDC-sponsored study, published in JAMA on 3 September 2019, showed that surgical masks are as effective as N95 respirators in preventing influenza infections amongst healthcare workers.
While studies will need to be conducted to determine how effective surgical masks are against the COVID-19 coronavirus, we do know that it is larger than, or as large as, the influenza A virus
Based on the influenza test results, it is likely that the COVID-19 coronavirus will be as effectively blocked by a 3-ply surgical mask.
Surgical masks also help reduce infections by preventing users from touching their faces with dirty / infected hands.
This is important because many people do not get infected by breathing in viral particles floating in the air, but by touching their mouth and nose with their contaminated hands.
Before you rush out to buy surgical masks, please make sure they are proper 3-layer surgical masks, and not 2-ply face masks or fashion masks. Here are some online purchase options :
Wang Guangfa, a Chinese respiratory specialist was infected by COVID-19, despite taking precautions including wearing an N95 respirator.
He believes it may have infected him through his eyes, a possibility that is being investigated but has yet to be confirmed.
Out of an abundance of caution, healthcare workers who are in direct contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases are wearing protective eyewear.
At the moment, the scientific consensus is that there is no need for the public to wear protective eyewear.
However, if one of your family members may be infected with COVID-19, you should wear protective eyewear as a precaution.
There is no need to purchase specialised medical eyewear. Just use whatever you have at home – workman’s protective glasses, spectacles, sunglasses or even swimming googles.
But if you really want a cheap, cool-looking protective glasses that cover both ocular orbits, this is what I’m using – the Honeywell A700 safety glasses.
Here are some online purchase options if you are interested to get the Honeywell A700 as well :
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People are spreading the fake story that Western media covered up the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, while hypocritically criticising China over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
We will debunk this nonsensical claim about the H1N1 American Pandemic Virus, and show you what really happened.
2009 H1N1 Pandemic : The Great American Cover-Up?
China is under great pressure fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in unfair racist attacks on Chinese and Asian-looking people in many countries, especially in the West.
Unfortunately, that situation has also encouraged Sinophiles and the Chinese propaganda arm to create false narratives to divert some of the blame.
This example about the H1N1 American Pandemic Virus was created by Gong Simi Singapore, which roughly translates as What Say You Singapore, based on Chinese propaganda.
H1N1 was started in the USA. Little efforts were made by the USA to stop the spread of the virus.
It killed 284,500 worldwide and affected 214 countries.
There was no mention by the western media that H1N1 is an American Pandemic Virus.
It did not help that even famous Chinese journalist Liu Xin from CGTN got into the act, claiming that Western media did not call America the Sick Man of North America for the H1N1 pandemic that she claimed began in the US.
Now, let us show you why this is yet another fake story…
H1N1 Pandemic : The Great American Cover-Up Debunked!
We created this video to explain in just over 3 minutes why this is a Chinese propaganda effort to hit back at perceived Western bias in their fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
While they may have their (arguably justifiable) reasons for doing so, it is still a lie, and must be debunked.
CDC Did NOT Admit It Originated In The US
They keep pointing out that the CDC admitted that the 2009 swine flu pandemic originated in the US. That’s actually not accurate.
The CDC is a US agency, and was reporting on the 2009 flu pandemic from the US perspective. Their Q&A only mentioned that it was first detected in the US in April 2009.
In the first WHO report on the disease, it was pointed out that while the US reported seven confirmed cases on 24 April 2009, the Mexican government admitted that they already picked up cases from 18 March 2009 onwards.
In other words, the 2009 flu epidemic started in Mexico for more than a month, before spreading to the US and the rest of the world, creating a pandemic.
The 2009 Flu Pandemic Started In Mexico!
The claim that the 2009 swine flu pandemic started in the US is false.
That swine flu pandemic actually originated in Veracruz, Mexico. That is over 500 kilometres from the nearest US border town of Brownsville, Texas.
The Strain Is Called Pandemic Disease Mexico
After the 2009 pandemic strain was confirmed to have originated in Mexico, it was known as the A(H1N1)pdm09, which is short for Influenza A (H1N1 subtype) Pandemic Disease Mexico 2009.
It Was A National Emergency In The US
The claim that the US did nothing to stop the spread of the virus is also false.
President Barack Obama actually declared the 2009 flu pandemic a US National Emergency on 24 October 2009.
Two different vaccines were developed and introduced by November 2009. President Obama himself received the trivalent jab on 20 December 2009.
It Triggered The First Ever WHO PHEIC
The 2009 flu pandemic so alarmed the WHO that they declared their first ever PHEIC – Public Health Emergency of International Concern – in April 2009.
So any claim that there was no effort by any party to stop the spread of the virus is nonsensical.
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HUAWEI just can’t catch a break – Taiwan just banned three of their smartphones… over hurt feelings!
Find out what happened, and what this could mean for HUAWEI and the tumultuous Taiwan-China relationship.
Taiwan Bans HUAWEI Smartphones Over Hurt Feelings 🙁
On 14 November 2019, the Taiwanese National Communications Commission ordered Taiwanese companies to stop offering HUAWEI P30, HUAWEI P30 Pro and HUAWEI nova 5T smartphones for sale.
The reason? Because the Taiwanese government discovered that their software used “Taiwan, China” for time zones and contacts.
This mistake is offensive to Taiwanese government because it implied that Taiwan is part of China, and not a separate country – a sovereignty dispute that has existed since the Communists took over mainland China.
According to Peter Niou, a deputy director at Taiwanese National Communications Commission, the reference impaired Taiwan’s national dignity, and would continue until HUAWEI changed the incorrect reference to Taiwan.
It was reported by the Economic Daily News that this reference to Taiwan, China only appeared recently, after a software update.
Didn’t China Do The Same Thing?
Indeed, China is no stranger to banning companies over this sovereignty dispute. Here is a short list of companies they ban-hammered over similar slights :
Marriott : For listing Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as independent countries in a survey
Versace : For releasing t-shirts that identified Hong Kong and Macau as independent countries.
Gap : For selling a t-shirt that featured a map of China without Taiwan.
Christian Dior : For using a map of China without Taiwan in a presentation.
Zara : For listing Taiwan as an independent country on its website.
Delta Airlines : For listing Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries.
What Does The HUAWEI Ban Mean For Taiwan – China Relations?
While it may sound like a big shock, this new ban by the Taiwanese government on HUAWEI smartphones is very measured in nature.
The Taiwanese government only banned the three affected models, instead of a blanket ban on HUAWEI, which is something China would have done if the situation was reversed.
They even explicitly stated that the ban would be lifted as soon as the mistake was corrected.
It is also important to note that even as the Trump Administration has been pressuring the Taiwanese government to freeze the sale of semiconductor chips to China, they have not done so.
In fact, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) said earlier this month that it would continue producing chips for HUAWEI.
Therefore, it is doubtful that China would chime in on this issue. That said, it would not be politically-viable for HUAWEI to issue a correction right away.
We think they will let this issue blow over, before quietly releasing an update to change the reference.
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Have you ever wondered who owns 4G technology? There are claims that 4G belongs to four US telcos – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, that are forcing countries like China to pay them TRILLIONS in royalties.
We take a look at that claim, and find out who REALLY owns 4G!
4G Belongs To AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile + Sprint?
As the US-Chinese trade tensions drag out, lots of fake stories about both sides are circulating online.
One of them is the claim that 4G belongs to four US telcos – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, and countries like China are forced to pay them trillions of dollars every year.
4G belongs to United States’ AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. The world’s countries pay more than 10,000 trillion yuan in copyright fees to the four companies in the United States. China’s 4G pays US$100 million in annual copyright fees to US companies.
If the countries around the world switch to Huawei 5G, the United States will lose more than 10,000 billion yuan of foreign exchange each year, which is set at 20% of the annual GDP of the United States.
Therefore, the United States will not allow 5G in the world.
the United States will destroy Huawei to protect the interests of the United States;
i.e. stopping the loss of at least 20% of USA’s GDP.
What a big bully !!!.
Let the world know the true & ulterior reason for USA’s insistence on bringing down Huawei.
Is that true? Let’s find out!
4G Does Not Belong To US Telcos
First of all, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint are US telecommunications companies, telcos, that operate mobile networks in the United States.
These US telcos may own the equipment (like the cell tower above) that power those 4G LTE networks, but they do NOT own the 4G technologies those equipment were built around.
They are like any other mobile telcos around the world. They provide the 4G LTE service your mobile phones use to make calls and provide mobile Internet connectivity.
So Who REALLY Owns 4G?
4G technology is not owned by any particular company, but is protected by about 1,400 patents owned by a multitude of companies worldwide.
In 2011, an analyst Peter Misek crawled through all of those patents to find out who known how many of those patents, and he summarised his findings in this pie chart :
The top 3 owners of 4G patents, in order of patent numbers (not importance or value), are :
LG Electronics
Qualcomm
Motorola (now owned by Lenovo, although most of its patents are owned by Google)
Notice how there are no telcos in the pie chart? That’s because telcos do NOT develop mobile technologies… they don’t even make the equipment based on these mobile technologies!
How Much Is Paid For 4G Technology?
The other part of the claim is that the world pays about US$1,450 trillion per year in 4G licensing fees per year, with China paying US$100 million per year.
Globally
Analysts estimate that about 15-16% of a 4G smartphone’s PROFIT margin goes towards licensing fees.
In 2018, the global smartphone sales was US$522 billion, and smartphone profit margins are roughly 65% on average. That would mean about US$51 billion would have been paid in 4G licensing fees in 2018.
Obviously, US$51 billion is a tremendous amount of money, but it is far less than what the fake story claims – US$1,450 trillion.
In China
In 2017, China sold US$152.3 billion worth of smartphones. That would mean smartphones sold in China (including those made by Apple) would have contributed about US$15 billion in 4G licensing fees.
That is far more than the fake claim of US$100 million per year…
Who Created This 4G Belongs To US Telcos Hoax?
This is yet another piece of spurious Chinese propaganda, probably coined by China’s so-called 50 Cent Army.
Crudely-written with nonsensical numbers, it has nevertheless spread on social media, which is why we are spending the time and effort to debunk it.
Irrespective of what we may think about the Trump ban on HUAWEI and other trade war actions, we should focus on the FACTS, and not let fake stories like this sway our opinions.
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HUAWEI gets another reprieve from the Trump Administration, with its temporary general licence extended by another 90 days!
Here is the full story, and what it means for HUAWEI and their business partners in the US and elsewhere!
The First HUAWEI Temporary General Licence
Just days of adding HUAWEI to the Entity List of US national security threats, the Trump Administration issues HUAWEI a 90-day temporary licence.
This partially restored their access to US technology and suppliers. It basically allows them to service and maintain their current networks and smartphones.
Establishing new networks or create new products, using technologies with more than 25% US content or origin, would require companies to apply for special licences from the US Commerce Department.
HUAWEI Licence Extended By 90 Days!
HUAWEI’s first temporary general licence was slated to expire today, on 19 August 2019.
But Trump had been signalling that he was open to extending HUAWEI’s licence, after he delayed new tariffs on Chinese goods until 15 December.
That was confirmed today when the US Commerce Department announced that it was extending the temporary general licence for HUAWEI, by another 90 days.
“As we continue to urge consumers to transition away from Huawei’s products, we recognize that more time is necessary to prevent any disruption,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “Simultaneously, we are constantly working at the Department to ensure that any exports to Huawei and its affiliates do not violate the terms of the Entity Listing or Temporary General License.”
This means HUAWEI will be able to continue supporting existing networks and devices up till 19 November 2019.
Can HUAWEI Can Launch New Devices With Licence Extension?
With the HUAWEI Mate 30 smartphones slated for launch very soon, this is a very important question – can HUAWEI launch new devices based on Android and its ecosystem?
The temporary general licence that was specifically issued to HUAWEI does not permit the use of US technologies (of more than 25% origin or content) in new HUAWEI devices without a special licence.
However, it buys HUAWEI and its business partners time to request special licences to sell their products or services to HUAWEI.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that he received more than 50 applications last month, with more coming in.
It is actually very important for many US companies to continue to do business with HUAWEI, who spent some $11 billion on US products and services in 2018.
More HUAWEI Affiliates Added To Entity List
It was not all good news though. The US Commerce Department also announced that it was adding 46 additional HUAWEI affiliates to the Entity List, due to national security concerns.
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Rumours have been fast spreading on instant messengers and social media about the HUAWEI Trump ban, leading to a ton of misconceptions, misunderstandings and outright BS.
In this article, we will explain the HUAWEI Trump ban, and what it means to HUAWEI and to you, the customer.
The HUAWEI Trump Ban Timeline Updated!
The US government’s distrust of HUAWEI goes back many years, and only grew as HUAWEI became one of China’s biggest and arguably, most visible global companies with over $100 billion in revenue and over 180,000 employees worldwide.
Circa 2010 : US intelligence officers began claiming that HUAWEI was serving as a proxy for the Chinese government
2011 : The US government squelched HUAWEI’s attempt to acquire 3Leaf Systems, a US company that offers server virtualisation solutions.
2012-10-08 : The US House Intelligence Committee released a report about its investigations into HUAWEI and ZTE, which also questioned their dealings with Iran.
2018-08-13 : US President Trump banned the use of HUAWEI and ZTE products by US government agencies.
2018-12-01 :Meng Wanzhou, HUAWEI’s global chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei, is arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States.
Photo Credit : Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press / PA Images
Early 2019 : The Trump government begins earnestly pressuring allies to stop using HUAWEI telecommunications equipment, particularly in building new 5G networks.
2019-05-10 : The US-Chinese trade talks failed, and President Trump immediately raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.
2019-05-15 : President Trump signed an executive order barring US companies from using telecommunications equipment from sources that are “national security threats”. The US Commerce Department also added HUAWEI to the Entity List of US national security threats.
2019-05-16 : ARM issued a memo instructing their employees to suspend business with HUAWEI. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-19 : Google announced that it would suspend business with HUAWEI to comply with US law.
2019-05-20 : Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Micron and Western Digital announce that they will stop supplying HUAWEI. German chipmaker Infineon also stopped some shipments.
2019-05-20 : The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Commerce Department announced a 90-day temporary licence to HUAWEI, partially restoring their access to US technology and suppliers.
2019-05-21 : FedEx in Singapore and Hong Kong withheld two HUAWEI packages for “delivery exception“. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-23 : Two packages from Japan bound for HUAWEI in China were diverted to the FedEx HQ in the United Stataes instead. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-25 : The SD Association removed HUAWEI as a member, but the NM Card gives an extra workaround. Read our full report.
2019-05-26 : The WiFi Alliance temporarily suspends HUAWEI, but this only affects future Wi-Fi standards. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-29 : HUAWEI announced a legal challenge on the constitutionality of the HUAWEI Trump ban, but it will be too late to help them. However, China has a Trump card!
2019-05-29 : Just as quietly as HUAWEI was removed as members of the the WiFi Alliance, the SD Association and the Bluetooth SIG, its membership was restored!
2019-05-29 : Malaysian Prime Minister (and the world’s OLDEST prime minister) Dr. Mahathir Mohammad said that Malaysia has no intention on shunning HUAWEI, and that they will “try to make use of their technology as much as possible“.
2019-05-29 : The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) told its editors to stop using HUAWEI scientists and engineers to review scientific papers for fear of “severe legal implications”.
2019-06-02 : The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) reversed their decision to ban HUAWEI scientists and engineers from reviewing scientific papers! Read our full report and analysis!
2019-06-12 : HUAWEI confirmed that they were postponing the launch of their refreshed MateBook laptop indefinitely, because they are unable to purchase the necessary components from US-based companies like Intel.
China’s Global Times reports that HUAWEI will instead launch a different laptop in July that will run Windows 10 on an ARM-based processor. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-06-14 : HONOR is moving ahead with the sale of the HONOR 20 smartphones, starting 21 June 2019. Read our full report!
At the same time, Broadcom slashed its annual revenue outlook by a whopping $2 billion, as a result of the HUAWEI Trump ban. Broadcom shares fell 6% as a result.
2019-06-17 : Microsoft starts selling HUAWEI MateBook laptops again, after removing them from the Microsoft Store when HUAWEI was added to the Entity List.
In their statement, they stated that “[Microsoft] will continue to respond to the many business, technical and regulatory complexities stemming from the recent addition of Huawei to the US Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations Entity List”
2019-06-23 : HUAWEI calls the repeated delivery mistakes by FedEx “a vendetta“. Read our full report!
2019-06-24 : Despite the HUAWEI Trump ban, HONOR reported that they sold their first batch of HONOR 20 smartphones in 3 hours in Malaysia, with over a million units in China in two weeks. Read our full report!
2019-06-25 : FedEx sued the Trump Administration to block trade restrictions (like the HUAWEI ban) that force it to act as enforcement agents. UPS declined to join the FedEx lawsuit.
2019-06-29 : President Trump stunned everyone by reversing the HUAWEI ban, stating that it was “no great national emergency”; and agreeing not to introduce more tariffs… all without a trade agreement with China. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-07-14 : Reuters reported that the US Commerce Department could start approving licences for US companies to start selling again to HUAWEI in a matter of weeks.
2019-07-22 : Impatient with the US Commerce Department, the CEOs of Google, Cisco, Intel, Broadcom, Micron and Western Digital pressured Donald Trump to force the US Commerce Department to issue licenses allowing them to sell to HUAWEI once again. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-08-19 : The US Commerce Department extended HUAWEI’s temporary general licence by a further 90 days. They also added 46 more HUAWEI affiliates to the Entity List. Read our full report and analysis!
Who Does The HUAWEI Trump Ban Affect?
The HUAWEI Trump ban covers both HUAWEI and its sub-brand, HONOR. As it so happens, HONOR is launching their HONOR 20 smartphone today.
Many pundits wrongly quoted Trump’s executive order as the basis for the Google and other US companies suspending supplies to HUAWEI. That is only partly true.
His executive order does not mention HUAWEI at all. In fact, it actually applies to every company listed in the US Entity List, which is over 270 pages long!
It basically prohibits “any acquisition, importation, transfer, installation, dealing in, or use of any information and communications technology or service (transaction)” by “any person… subject to the jurisdiction of the United States” to “persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary“.
It was really the US Commerce Department’s action of adding HUAWEI (and its 68 affiliates) to the Entity List that forced US companies to stop doing business with HUAWEI.
Even without Trump’s executive order, US companies are generally prohibited from doing business with companies listed in the Entity List. They will have to apply for a licence to export products to those entities.
The HUAWEI Trump Ban Effects
Google
Google rescinded HUAWEI’s Android licence, as well as access to Google Play services and the Play Store. But what does that mean?
Current HUAWEI and HONOR devices that run on Android and were launched on, or before 16 May 2019 will continue to have access to Google Play services, and the Google Play Store..
HUAWEI and HONOR devices launched from 17 May 2019 onwards will not have access to Android, Google Play services, or Google Play Store.
HUAWEI and HONOR will continue to receive Android software updates and patches until 19 August 2019.
In other words, if you own a HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone that was launched before 16 May 2019, you have nothing to worry about… at least until August 2019.
ARM
The suspension of business between ARM and HUAWEI has no real effect in the short to medium-term, because HUAWEI can continue to manufacture existing and completed designs.
HUAWEI has long worked on creating their own mobile SoCs, like their flagship-class Kirin 970 and Kirin 980. They have been pretty successful in this regard – all of their top smartphones run on Kirin processors.
They do not have a replacement for the Intel processors that power their MateBook laptops. However, they have apparently prepared for this eventuality by stockpiling 3 months worth of chips.
Memory Suppliers : Micron, Infineon
Fortunately for HUAWEI, most DRAM manufacturers are not US companies, or subject to US law. Whereas Micron (a US company) can no longer supply HUAWEI with memory chips, there are other DRAM companies that can make up the shortfall… including their competitor, Samsung.
Tech Organisations : WiFi, Bluetooth, SD New!
Initially, HUAWEI was quietly but unceremoniously booted from the Wi-Fi Alliance, the Bluetooth SIG and the SD Association. But two weeks later, their memberships were quietly restored. Read our full reports :
If you own a HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone sold on or before 16 May 2019, you have NOTHING to worry about.
Your HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone will continue to work normally
You will continue to have access to Google Play services, and the Google Play Store.
You will continue to receive updates and security patches
If you are planning to purchase a future HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone, you should wait and see.
Despite the ban, HUAWEI still has access to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
They can still produce smartphones that run on Android, but won’t be able to install Google Play services, the Google Play Store, or apps by US companies like YouTube and Facebook.
HUAWEI has been working on its own mobile operating system, HongMeng OS, which is said to be undergoing trials right now.
Future HUAWEI smartphones may run on HongMeng OS and their own slew of apps, but there will be a dearth of third-party apps, at least initially.
If the ban persists, HUAWEI will likely be forced to ship future smartphones with stock Android and HUAWEI apps to replace Google Play services.
What About New Devices?
The partial licence from the US Commerce Department only permits “service and support” for “existing” devices that were “available to the public on or before May 16, 2019“.
HUAWEI and its affiliates can create and sell new devices. However, they will not be covered by the temporary licence, and therefore…
they cannot have Google Play services or Play Store, or any US apps like YouTube and Instagram, installed
they are not entitled to Android software updates either
That said, US companies or companies that use substantial US technologies can apply to the US Commerce Department for special licences to sell to HUAWEI. As of July 2019, over 50 applications were submitted for consideration.
How Will This Affect HUAWEI’s Business?
This is, no doubt, a really serious problem for HUAWEI. Losing the ability to include Google services will be detrimental to the success of future devices.
The disruption of their supply chain will start to bite if the ban persists beyond three months – that’s when their stockpile runs out. They will also lose the ability to support existing customers with software patches.
However, the issuance of the temporary licence, just days after listing HUAWEI as a foreign adversary and a national security threat, signals that the HUAWEI Trump ban is just another bargaining chip in the US-China trade war.
In all likelihood, Trump is using the HUAWEI ban to force China to accept his terms for a trade deal. He badly needs a face-saving win after numerous failures in recent months.
Why This Is Bad For The Global Economy + Security
President Trump’s persistent pressure on HUAWEI is forcing a decoupling of the Chinese and American economies. This is bad for the global economy, as well as global security.
The intertwining of US and Chinese economies is a form of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that was once guaranteed by nuclear weapons.
Photo Credit : News.com.au
But with an erratic US President cutting off supply to US products and technology essential for their companies, China will continue to turn inwards to insulate their economy, even adopting a form of economic Juche.
The more their economies decouple, the more the US loses the ability to engage China positively on a variety of geopolitical issues. In fact, it may eventually lead to an outright Cold War between the US and China, if not military confrontation.
Updated @ 2019-06-20 :Added details of the diverting of HUAWEI packages by FedEx (full report).
Updated @ 2019-06-17 :Added details of Microsoft’s decision to resume selling HUAWEI MateBook laptops.
Updated @ 2019-06-14 :Added details of the upcoming HUAWEI laptop that will run Windows 10 on ARM (full report), the upcoming sale of the HONOR 20 smartphone (full report), and the impact on Broadcom.
Updated @ 2019-06-03 :Added IEEE’s reversal of its earlier decision to ban HUAWEI employees from reviewing scientific papers (full report).
Updated @ 2019-05-31 :Added many updates, including what Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir said about maximising the use of HUAWEI technologies.
Updated @ 2019-05-29 :Added details of HUAWEI’s legal motion and Trump card (full report), as well as the restoration of their Bluetooth, WiFi, SD and Android Q rights (full report).
Updated @ 2019-05-26 :Added details of the HUAWEI WiFi Alliance suspension (full report)
Updated @ 2019-05-25 :Added how HUAWEI outsmarted the SD + microSD ban with their NM card (full report)
Updated @ 2019-05-23 :Added details about the HUAWEI ARM business suspension (full report)
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US tech companies pressured US President Donald Trump into lifting the HUAWEI ban, after he vacillated on his decision to let them sell to HUAWEI again last month.
After a face-to-face meeting with seven of the top US tech companies, Trump agreed to facilitate the resumption of business ties with HUAWEI.
Lifting The HUAWEI Ban : Didn’t Trump Already Agree To It???
On 29 June 2019, Donald Trump said that “he would allow HUAWEI to once again buy US products“, calling it “no great national emergency“.
Perhaps because he foolishly revealed that he “agreed easily” to let US tech companies do business again with HUAWEI, there was a backlash by China hawks in the US government.
Credit : CNN
It even resulted in the introduction of legislation by a bipartisan group of senators to block Trump from removing HUAWEI from the trade blacklist until national security concerns have been addressed.
As a result, the lifting of the HUAWEI ban was literally put on hold.
Tech Meeting Agenda : Lifting The HUAWEI Ban
On Monday, 22 July 2019, the CEOs of seven top US tech companies – Google, Cisco, Intel, Broadcom, Micron and Western Digital – sat down with Donald Trump and four other key trade officials :
Larry Kudlow (Director of the National Economic Council),
Steven Mnuchin (Treasury Secretary),
Wilbur Ross (Commerce Secretary), and
Robert Lighthizer (top US trade negotiator).
Their agenda was very clear-cut – lifting the HUAWEI ban, so they can resume selling to one of their top business partners.
Broadcom, for instance, expects to lose $12 billion in sales because of the HUAWEI ban.
How Wilbur Ross Screwed Up The Process
US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has come under fire recently for incompetence and lack of leadership, with a penchant to sleep during meetings.
Ross had said that licenses would be issued where there is no threat to US national security, but has not been forthcoming with the details.
It was only last week that Reuters reported that the slow bureaucracy at the US Commerce Department could start approving licences for US companies to start selling again to HUAWEI in a matter of weeks.
No Lifting Of HUAWEI Ban… Just Yet
It was at this meeting that they successfully pressured Donald Trump into agreeing to make “timely licensing decisions” on sales to HUAWEI.
In other words, Trump went back on his words (yet again), this time on lifting the HUAWEI ban. Chinese President Xi must be pulling his hair out in frustration!
Photo Credit : Nikkei
But this meeting with US tech giants has forced the White House into publicly agreeing to the timely licencing of sales to HUAWEI.
This lets Trump claim that he isn’t really lifting the HUAWEI ban, just allowing sales that do not contravene US national security interests.
They successfully convinced the CEOs of seven top US tech companies to physically pressure Donald Trump into partially lifting the ban.
Although the mechanism for licensing sales to companies under the US Entity List already exists, there is a presumption of denial – which means, in reality, it’s virtually impossible to get those licences.
When the White House agreed to provide those licences at the meeting, what it really means is that HUAWEI will soon be able to purchase at least some of what they need from US companies.
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US President Donald Trump not only walked back the HUAWEI ban, he now says that it’s “no great national emergency problem“.
No, it’s not an April Fool joke, although US President Trump seems to behave like it’s all a big fucking joke.
Here is the latest twist in the 4 year comedy-horror show that is the Trump Presidency.
Trump In May : HUAWEI Is A National Security Threat
On 15 May 2019, President Trump signed an executive order barring US companies from using telecommunications equipment from sources that are “national security threats“.
He then had the US Commerce Department add HUAWEI to the Entity List of US national security threats, basically labelling HUAWEI as a national security threat.
That barred American companies, or companies using “significant American technology”, from selling their services or products to HUAWEI.
Trump In June : No Great National Emergency Problem
According to CNN, he said that after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 29 June 2019, “he would allow Huawei to once again buy US products“.
US companies can sell their equipment to Huawei… there’s no great national emergency problem. – US President Donald Trump
Credit : CNN
CNN also pointed out that :
He said he “agreed easily” in his meeting with Xi to continue allowing US companies to do business with the telecom giant.
The Donald Is A Thoroughly Confused Idiot
Seriously? Is HUAWEI a national security threat to the United States or not?
If HUAWEI is a genuine national security threat, then it cannot be part of any trade bargain on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
But Trump has now officially lifted the HUAWEI ban and announced that there will be NO NEW TARIFFS, all without an official trade deal, which is very perplexing.
Does he know what he’s doing? Or is he just making stuff up on the spur of the moment?
One thing is for sure – The Donald is a thoroughly confused idiot.
The Damage Caused By The Trump Ban On HUAWEI
The HUAWEI Trump ban immediately forced many companies or organisations to immediately suspend business with HUAWEI, including :
As if he’s trying to close the barn door after the horses have bolted, Trump hinted that HUAWEI isn’t 100% safe from his wrath.
“We mentioned Huawei,” Trump said of his talks with President Xi Jinping of China earlier Saturday. “We’ll have to save that for the very end.”
In other words, HUAWEI just scored a welcomed reprieve, but Trump will likely demand concessions during the next trade talks, or he could possibly initiate another ban…
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Reuters just reported that HUAWEI’s US research and development arm, Futurewei Technologies, separated its operations from its corporate parent after the HUAWEI Trump ban kicked in.
Here is a look at what happened, and why Futurewei cut ties with HUAWEI.
What Is Futurewei?
Futurewei Technologies is HUAWEI’s US-based research and development company.
With offices in Silicon Valley, Seattle, Chicago and Dallas, it employs hundreds of people, and has deep ties with US universities.
Thanks to its research partnerships and grant programs with at least 50 US universities, Futurewei now has over 2,100 patents in telecommunications, 5G, video and camera technologies.
What Did Futurewei Do?
After HUAWEI and its 68 global affiliates were placed on the US Entity List, Futurewei moved to separate its operations from HUAWEI :
banning HUAWEI employees from its officers
moved Futurewei employees to a new IT system
forbidden Futurewei employees from using the HUAWEI name or logo in communications
However, Futurewei remains a fully-owned subsidiary of HUAWEI Technologies.
There are a few reasons why Futurewei cut ties with its own parent company, HUAWEI :
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As a US company, it is forbidden by the HUAWEI Trump ban to export technology to its own parent company. So there is no longer an advantage to maintain official ties.
Most importantly, it helps Futurewei maintain research partnerships with US universities.
The University of California-Berkeley suspended funding, but allows its researchers to continue working with Futurewei employees who are US citizens or legal permanent residents.
Stanford “paused” new funding agreements with Futurewei in December 2018, but continues to work with Futurewei under existing research agreements.
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After the latest FedEx refusal to deliver a HUAWEI P30 Pro smartphone, HUAWEI finally hit back, calling it a vendetta. Here’s the latest update on the ongoing HUAWEI-FedEx saga…
The HUAWEI – FedEx Vendetta Claim Explained
Right after the HUAWEI Trump ban kicked off, FedEx diverted two HUAWEI packages and attempted to divert two other packages.
The first two packages were sent on May 19 and May 20 from Japan. Instead of being delivered to HUAWEI in China, FedEx diverted them to their HQ in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 23.
FedEx claimed it was an error by a 30-year old employee who sent the packages to the FedEx HQ for a “compliance audit“.
The other two packages were sent from Hanoi on May 17. Destined for HUAWEI offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, they were held up at local FedEx offices on May 21 for “delivery exception”.
It comes as no surprise then, when HUAWEI tweeted that FedEx has a vendetta against them :
Oddly enough, they mentioned FedEx’s rival – UPS – in their tweet. It was probably a reference to UPS’ tweet that,
“There is nothing prohibiting shipping a Huawei phone from the U.K. to the U.S.”
FedEx finally adopted the same stance the next day, stating that,
“FedEx can accept and transport all Huawei products except for any shipments to listed Huawei entities on the U.S. Entity List.”
As we pointed out earlier, FedEx is only legally required not to knowingly ship technology to HUAWEI and its 68 affiliates listed on the US Entity List.
While we do not believe that FedEx actually has a vendetta against HUAWEI, their explicit refusal to ship that HUAWEI P30 Pro shows gross neglect by their management to properly address the HUAWEI Trump ban.
With not one, not two, but three delivery failures and the PR faux pas on Twitter, you have to wonder – what on Earth is going on at FedEx?
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FedEx just reversed their refusal to deliver HUAWEI products based on the HUAWEI Trump ban, calling it an “operational error“.
They also clarified their policy on HUAWEI and its 68 affiliates who are on the US Entity List. Here are the full details!
What FedEx Ban On HUAWEI?
FedEx never officially stated its stance on the HUAWEI Trump ban, until a PCMag journalist tried to send a HUAWEI P30 smartphone to his US colleague.
It was held for a few hours in the US and then promptly returned, with the following message :
“PARCEL RETURNED BY FEDEX, DUE US GOVERNMENT ISSUE WITH HUAWEI AND CHINA GOVERNMENT”
Photo credit : Sascha Segan, PCMag
When they queried FedEx about their refusal to deliver the P30 smartphone, they received this reply,
“[O]n May 16, 2019, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and 68 of its global affiliates were included on the ‘Entity List’ which sets out a list of certain entities that US companies are restricted from doing business with. My apologies for the inconvenience this has caused you.”
Followed by this subsequent response :
[T]o ensure our compliance, at this time we are not accepting any shipments to any of the listed Huawei entities.”
FedEx Reverses Stance, Calls It An Operational Error
A day later, FedEx reversed its stance, calling its earlier refusal to deliver the HUAWEI P30 smartphone an “operational error“.
“The package in question was mistakenly returned to the shipper, and we apologize for this operational error.
As a global company that moves 15 million shipments each day, we are committed to compliance with all rules and regulations and minimizing impact to our customers as we adjust our operations to comply with a dynamic US regulatory environment.”
The layperson’s translation would go something along these lines :
We finally realised we had no right to refuse the delivery, so it is now an “operational error”.
Please don’t blame us because we have to keep adjusting to US regulations that change on the whims of an unstable idiot.
In our earlier article, we pointed out two salient points – the HUAWEI Trump ban is an EXPORT BAN, and PCMag is not on the US Entity List.
In other words, FedEx had no legal basis for refusing to deliver ANY HUAWEI device to any US resident.
On 23 June 2019, FedEx finally clarified its HUAWEI ban policy, stating that,
“FedEx can accept and transport all Huawei products except for any shipments to listed Huawei entities on the U.S. Entity List.”
Just as we pointed out earlier – FedEx is only legally required not to knowingly ship technology to HUAWEI and its 68 affiliates listed on the US Entity List.
This puts them on the same page as their rival, UPS, who confirmed in this earlier tweet :
“There is nothing prohibiting shipping a Huawei phone from the U.K. to the U.S.”
Finally, someone at FedEx read up on the fine print of the HUAWEI Trump ban! Congratulations!
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FedEx just refused to deliver a HUAWEI P30 smartphone because of the HUAWEI Trump ban. But they picked the wrong target – PCMag.
Needless to say, this has resulted in a kerfuffle, or shall we say, covfefe?
Find out what happened, and why FedEx was totally wrong about refusing to deliver any HUAWEI smartphones because of the Trump ban.
FedEx Banned HUAWEI P30 Delivery Due To Trump Ban!
Sascha Segan of PCMag just reported that FedEx refused to deliver a HUAWEI P30 smartphone that his UK colleague, Adam Smith, mailed to him.
The reason? The notice on the returned parcel said, in rather bad grammar but clearly, that…
“PARCEL RETURNED BY FEDEX, DUE US GOVERNMENT ISSUE WITH HUAWEI AND CHINA GOVERNMENT”
Photo credit : Sascha Segan, PCMag
When Adam reached out to FedEx on Twitter, they replied,
“Adam, on May 16, 2019, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and 68 of its global affiliates were included on the ‘Entity List’ which sets out a list of certain entities that US companies are restricted from doing business with. My apologies for the inconvenience this has caused you.”
With this subsequent response :
“Adam, it is my understanding that to ensure our compliance, at this time we are not accepting any shipments to any of the listed Huawei entities.”
HUAWEI spokeswoman Teri Daley, on the other hand, responded,
“This is a complete misinterpretation of the EO/EL” (Executive Order / Entity List).
So who is correct? FedEx or HUAWEI? First, a quick primer on what on the HUAWEI Trump ban…
The HUAWEI Trump Ban
Many pundits wrongly quoted Trump’s executive order as the basis for the Google and other US companies suspending supplies to HUAWEI. That is only partly true.
His executive order does not mention HUAWEI at all. In fact, it actually applies to every company listed in the US Entity List, which is over 270 pages long!
It basically prohibits “any acquisition, importation, transfer, installation, dealing in, or use of any information and communications technology or service (transaction)” by “any person… subject to the jurisdiction of the United States” to “persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary“.
It was really the US Commerce Department’s action of adding HUAWEI (and its 68 affiliates) to the Entity List that forced US companies to stop doing business with HUAWEI.
Even without Trump’s executive order, US companies are generally prohibited from doing business with companies listed in the Entity List. They will have to apply for a licence to export products to those entities.
As a US company, they are prohibited from doing business with HUAWEI or its 68 affiliates listed in the Entity List.
The Trump Executive Order, on the other hand, specifically prohibits US companies from exporting technology to HUAWEI and its affiliates.
But unless they are knowingly delivering packages containing US technology to HUAWEI or its affiliates, they have no legal exposure to the HUAWEI Trump ban.
FedEx was wrong not to deliver PCMag’s P30 smartphone for a few reasons :
Reason #1 : It Is An Export Ban
The Trump executive order only prohibits the EXPORT of technology to HUAWEI and its affiliates.
It does not prohibit anyone from importing HUAWEI smartphones into the United States. A fact their rival, UPS, confirmed in this tweet :
“There is nothing prohibiting shipping a Huawei phone from the U.K. to the U.S.”
Neither does it prohibit an existing owner of a HUAWEI smartphone from sending it to a US resident.
Reason #2 : PCMag Is Not In The Entity List
The HUAWEI P30 was sent by a third-party (PCMag), not HUAWEI. They have no legal basis to reject the delivery because PCMag is not in the Entity List.
Reason #3 : There Is A Temporary 90-Day Licence
The US Department of Commerce issued a temporary 90-day licence for the support and service of existing HUAWEI smartphones that were available on or before May 16, 2019.
The HUAWEI P30 launched in March, and is therefore covered under that 90-day licence.
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The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) reversed their HUAWEI ban, just FOUR DAYS after announcing it. Let’s find out what the heck’s going on!
The IEEE Announces Its HUAWEI Ban…
On 29 May 2019, the IEEE announced their partial HUAWEI ban to comply with the HUAWEI Trump ban.
It was a perplexing move, coming almost two weeks after HUAWEI ban kicked in, and on the same day the WiFi Alliance, the SD Association and the Bluetooth SIG reversed their decisions to remove HUAWEI as members!
In their press statement announcing their partial HUAWEI ban, they clarified that HUAWEI employees are still allowed to :
join and participate in IEEE conferences, events and meetings
access the over 4.8 million papers on IEEE Xplore
submit technical papers for publication
sponsor and accept an IEEE award
participate in business, logistics and other meetings, including those related to conference planning
However, to comply with US government regulations, they have to restrict HUAWEI and its employees from non-public activities, including :
peer review of submitted scientific papers
the IEEE editorial process
IEEE complies with U.S. government regulations which restrict the ability of the listed Huawei companies and their employees to participate in certain activities that are not generally open to the public. This includes certain aspects of the publication peer review and editorial process.
As you can see, the IEEE’s partial HUAWEI ban is really quite limited in scope… and has no real impact on HUAWEI as a company.
But just four days later, they announced that they were retracting their partial HUAWEI ban… claiming that they received clarification from the US Department of Commerce.
IEEE has received the requested clarification from the U.S. Department of Commerce on the applicability of these export control restrictions to IEEE’s publication activities. Based on this new information, employees of Huawei and its affiliates may participate as peer reviewers and editors in our publication process.
Based on that clarification, they announced that HUAWEI employees and its affiliates may once more participate as peer reviewers and editors in the IEEE.
One can only wonder why they did not just wait a few more days… even a week… for that Commerce Department clarification before announcing their HUAWEI ban…
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HUAWEI today struck back at the Trump ban, by challenging its constitutionality. Meanwhile, China hints at a Trump card, pun intended…
We examine why the HUAWEI legal motion is too late to help them, but China’s Trump card may be what they need to break through the Trump ban.
HUAWEI Challenges Constitutionality Of The Trump Ban
On 29 May 2019, HUAWEI filed a motion for a summary judgment in its challenge that Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (2019 NDAA) is unconstitutional.
In the complaint, HUAWEI argued that Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA singled out HUAWEI by name, and not only bars U.S. government agencies from buying HUAWEI equipment and services, but also bars them from, contracting with, or awarding grants or loans to third parties who buy HUAWEI equipment or services — even if there is no impact or connection to the U.S. government.
Glen Nager, HUAWEI’s lead counsel for the case, said Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA violates the Bill of Attainder, Due Process, and Vesting Clauses of the United States Constitution. Thus, the case is purely “a matter of law” as there are no facts at issue, thereby justifying the motion for a summary judgement to speed up the process.
In line with a court scheduling order, a hearing on the motion is set for 19 September 2019.
HUAWEI also called on the U.S. government to halt its campaign against HUAWEI, because “it will not deliver cybersecurity“.
Banning Huawei using cybersecurity as an excuse “will do nothing to make networks more secure. They provide a false sense of security, and distract attention from the real challenges we face,” said Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer.
“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” Song noted. “This is not normal. Almost never seen in history.”
“The U.S. government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,” Song added.
Song also addressed the addition of Huawei to the “Entity List” by the U.S. Commerce Department two weeks ago. “This sets a dangerous precedent. Today it’s telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers,” he said.
“The judicial system is the last line of defense for justice. Huawei has confidence in the independence and integrity of the U.S. judicial system. We hope that mistakes in the NDAA can be corrected by the court,” Song added.
With a hearing set for 3.5 months later, this legal challenge is frankly too late to stop the Trump ban from doing serious damage to HUAWEI.
Depending on who you believe, HUAWEI has enough components stockpiled for 3-12 months. It’s quite possible they will run out of components for at least some of their devices before the hearing even takes place!
In the meantime, the HONOR 20 and HONOR 20 Pro smartphones that just launched are stuck in limbo, because the Trump ban prohibits them from integrating Google Play services and the Play Store.
The same issue will plague all HUAWEI and HONOR devices that were originally scheduled to be launched after 15 May 2019.
Even worse, the temporary partial licence the Trump Administration issued to let HUAWEI and HONOR support their customers runs out by 19 August 2019 – a full month before the motion is even heard!
Until the Trump ban is lifted or vacated on constitutional grounds, those HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones have no commercial chance outside of China. They will all have to be postponed until this crisis is over…
What will save HUAWEI is no legal challenge… but a Trump card that the Chinese government has recently hinted at using – rare earths.
Rare earths are CRITICAL to the production of electronics, and that includes everything from smartphones to fighter jets and batteries.
China controls 90% of the world’s rare earth production, and more importantly – 80% of rare earth imports by the US. This is literally the Trump card that could force Trump to back off, and save HUAWEI.
Beijing put Washington on notice about their Trump card when both Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top economic advisor, Vice Premier Liu He, made a well-publicised visit to a rare earth factory in Jiangxi, eastern China.
If that was not obvious enough, the Chinese media (often mouthpieces of the party) made sure everyone knew that rare earths was “an ace in Beijing’s hand“, and “Don’t say you haven’t been warned“.
Even China’s economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, said in response to a question “Do you suggest that rare earths will become a part of China’s countermeasures against the US’s unwarranted pressure?” :
What I can tell you is that if someone wants to use our rare earths to manufacture products and use them to curb China’s development, then I’m sure the people of Ganzhou and across China will not be happy with that.”
Of course, Beijing might just be hoping that the threat of using their Trump card will be enough, because this nuclear option has its drawbacks.
Then again, Beijing has never dealt with anyone like Donald Trump… For a special person like that, perhaps a Trump card truly is necessary…
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KUALA LUMPUR, 5th December 2017 – U Mobile today announced a partnership with WeChat to launch the U Mobile WeChat Go SIM. This new prepaid SIM will offer Chinese tourists unlimited data to enjoy social messaging on the WeChat app and free Lingcod TV subscription whilst having unlimited data to stream over 100,000 hours of high-definition movies, documentaries, and educational content out of China.
The U Mobile WeChat Go SIM
The new U Mobile WeChat Go SIM will be the only WeChat Go cobranded prepaid SIM in the country and it is packed with other value-added services including 1GB of free roaming data for Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia and 60 minutes’ worth of IDD calls to China or calls made in Malaysia.
The launch of U Mobile WeChat Go SIM is very timely as the Malaysian Tourism and Culture Ministry is targeting to attract eight million Chinese tourists by 2020. With more and more tourists from China visiting Malaysia, the U Mobile prepaid WeChat Go SIM is well positioned to meet all their connectivity demands.
“U Mobile is constantly coming up with unlimited ideas for our customers. With the new U Mobile WeChat Go SIM, possibilities are endless as the whole WeChat ecosystem goes beyond just social messaging. Together with WeChat, we will work on packing even more benefits like mobile commerce into the WeChat Go SIM not just for Chinese tourists but for anyone who is a user of WeChat,” said Jasmine Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, U Mobile.
“We are delighted to begin our partnership with U Mobile to offer Chinese travellers an enhanced mobile experience in Malaysia,” said WeChat. “Through our network of partners like U Mobile, we would like to introduce WeChat’s ecosystem to the market and give WeChat users more value-added services.”
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The U Mobile WeChat Go SIM Price & Availability
U Mobile WeChat Go SIM will be available from 6 December 2017, and Chinese tourists may opt to purchase the prepaid SIM pack from Sunway Media retailers in China prior to travelling. The SIM card will also be available at 138 U Mobile outlets in Malaysia as well as the various international airports in the country such as KLIA and KLIA 2.
Price
RM 36.40 (China Pack)
RM 38 (Malaysia Pack)
Validity
15 days
Unlimited local data access to WeChat and Lingcod TV
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