Huawei, the world’s second largest smartphone vendor, confirmed that it has developed its own operating systems for smartphones and computers in case the United States bans it from using Android and Windows, German newspaper Die Welt reported, citing Richard Yu, CEO of the company’s consumer business group.
A Huawei spokesman Thursday told South China Morning Post that the company will only use these systems if it faces “extenuating circumstances”.
The US government once barred its companies from exporting technologies to another Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, ZTE, bringing the company to a standstill. Although the ban was lifted after ZTE accepted tough conditions including huge fines, Chinese companies in the industry remain shaken.
Yu’s comments about Huawei’s operating systems came at a time when company and a US subsidiary face federal charges in the US for violating sanctions on Iran. Huawei is also suing the US government over a ban that restricts federal agencies from using the company’s products.