AT&T Drops Huawei’s New Smartphone Amid Security Worries
The letter, which was reviewed by , said Congress had “long been concerned about Chinese
espionage in general, and Huawei’s role in that espionage in particular.”
While the letter did not mention AT&T, its pending deal to sell the Huawei smartphone in the United States had been widely reported.
But last month, a group of lawmakers wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission expressing misgivings about a potential deal between Huawei
and an unnamed American telecommunications company to sell its consumer products in the United States.
AT&T walked away from a deal to sell the Huawei smartphone, the Mate 10, to customers in the United States just before the partnership was set to
be unveiled, two people familiar with the plans said on Tuesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were not public.
The deal drew heavy criticism from lawmakers over the possibility of Chinese access to American user data, despite assurances from the Chinese company
that it would take steps to make the data more secure.
Instead, Huawei’s push to sell the phone in the United States has suddenly lost a powerful backer —
and the push has attracted some unwanted scrutiny from Washington.
In a statement, Huawei said it had delivered “premium devices with integrity globally and in the U. S. market” over the past five years, adding
that it would introduce new products for the American market on Tuesday.
