Huawei Nepal urges clients not to panic
Huawei logo is seen in front of displayed Google Play logo in this illustration taken May 20, 2019. Photo: Reuters
Kathmandu, May 20
Following the restrictions imposed by the US government on doing business with the Chinese tech giant, Huawei, the decision made by Google to ban all services from the Chinese smartphone brand is likely to affect Nepali customers.
Users will lose their access to Google services such as Gmail, Google Map, Google Playstore and You- Tube. Moreover, users will have no access to upgrade Google apps on their Android phones.
Huawei is the second largest smartphone selling company in Nepal after Samsung. Hence, thousands of Nepali customers will be affected with this decision of Google.
The company is yet to calculate the number of customers in the Nepali market though, Huawei Nepal stated.
It has about 15 per cent market share in Nepal.
The move by the California internet giant on the software front was compounded by news that US chipmakers have stopped supplying its products to Huawei, hitting the hardware of its phones, AFP reported.
As stated in the AFP report, Huawei sold nearly 203 million phones last year, up from 150 million in 2017, according to data tracking firm Gartner, overtaking Apple to threaten Samsung atop the global charts.
For the first quarter of 2019, before its recent run-in with President Donald Trump’s administration, Huawei sold 59 million handsets, IDC calculated.
As per the Associated Press, transfer of hardware, software or services to Huawei or technical interaction with the Chinese company would be restricted by the US order last week. It took effect on Thursday and requires government approval for all purchases of American microchips, software and other components globally by Huawei and 68 affiliated businesses.
Meanwhile, Huawei Nepal has claimed that the company will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet customers, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally. “We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users,” stated Huawei Nepal.
Huawei further said that services like Google Play and security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on customers’ existing Huawei devices.
The minimum price range of Huawei cellphones begins from Rs 15,000. “It is a popular brand in the Nepali market and customers are requested to stay calm as no services will be disrupted. The company will soon come up with solutions for new devices as well,” reads a mail sent by Huawei to The Himalayan Times.
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A version of this article appears in print on May 21, 2019 of The Himalayan Times.
