Huawei seems to have hit another setback in its plans for US expansion. It’s not just carriers that are giving the cold shoulder to the company; retailers are now as well. A source told CNET that Best Buy has “ceased ordering” new Huawei smartphones and will work to phase them out over the next few weeks. The source claims that Best Buy is the one that made the call. A Best Buy spokeswoman wouldn’t confirm or deny the news, but said that it changes its product offerings for a “variety of reasons.” Could one of those reasons be indirect political pressure?
A few weeks ago, AT&T and Verizon both said they were cutting ties with Huawei amid pressure from the American government. The US government is convinced that Huawei might use its devices to spy on behalf of China. In a report from 2012, there were accusations of Huawei and ZTE making devices that could pose a security threat, but never mentioned smartphones and hasn’t provided any definitive evidence. It might be possible that Best Buy is feeling the same political pressure as both AT&T and Verizon experienced.
Huawei on its part has said that it had “earned the trust” of partners worldwide, but it appears that both carriers and retailers alike are having a hard time fully trusting the company.
If you’re still interested in purchasing Huawei phones, you can do so online through Newegg, Amazon and B&H. Huawei once hopes to make a big splash in the US, it now risks losing some major support.
