Trump Administration Plans to Give Huawei More Time to Work With U.S. Customers

Photo: Fred Dufour/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

What Happened?

The Trump administration is preparing to extend the length of a license that has enabled Huawei Technologies Co. to continue working with U.S. customers despite national-security concerns that landed the Chinese telecom company on an export blacklist earlier this year.

Details

Commerce Department officials plan to announce Monday that they will grant a 90-day extension to the license that has allowed Huawei to continue doing some business within the U.S., according to an administration official.

Background

In May, Commerce officials put Huawei and its affiliates on an export blacklist, citing national-security concerns. U.S. officials have warned that Huawei products could be used to spy on or disrupt telecom networks. Huawei officials have denied these claims.

The ban initially raised questions about whether U.S. customers that use Huawei equipment could receive service and support or even communicate with the company.

Shortly after the move, Commerce officials announced a temporary license that authorized some transactions between Huawei and U.S. business partners, including rural wireless carriers in the U.S. that use its equipment. It also enabled Huawei to support its popular handsets. That license is scheduled to expire on Monday.