Google suspended some major services for Huawei.

  • Huawei has had its restrictions around conducting business in the US scaled back.
  • Last week, the US government added Huawei to an "entity list" that blacklisted the company from buying parts from US businesses without government approval.
  • The restrictions on Huawei have been reduced so the Chinese company is able to work with its existing cellphone customers in the US.
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The US government on Monday created a temporary general licence restoring Huawei's ability to maintain existing networks and provide software updates to existing Huawei handsets.

The licence, which was posted for public inspection, scales back the restrictions imposed by the US government last week on Huawei's buying US goods in order to help existing customers. The temporary license lasts until August 19.

Last week, the US Commerce Department added Huawei, a massive Chinese tech company, to an "entity list" that essentially blacklisted the company from buying parts from US businesses without first getting US government approval.

Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, on Sunday that Google suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software, and technical services except those publicly available via open-source licensing. 

Holders of current Huawei smartphones with Google apps, however, will continue to be able to use and download app updates provided by Google, a Google representative said, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters.

The "temporary general licence" will allow Huawei to provide software updates.

Huawei is the largest cellphone provider in South Africa, after Samsung.

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