Huawei explores coal mining, pig farming potential
Reeling from crippling US sanctions, China's telecom giant seeks other sources of revenue for its technology
Hit with tough sanctions after the Trump administration labelled it a threat to national security, Huawei is looking for other sources of revenue for its advanced technology.
Barred from accessing the vital components it needs and in response to struggling smartphone sales, the Chinese telecom giant is pivoting its technology for the nation’s coal industry and pig farmers, BBC News reported.
Earlier this month, Huawei founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei announced a mining innovation lab in northern China’s Shanxi Province.
He wants to develop technology for coal mines that will lead to “fewer workers, greater safety, and higher efficiency” and enable coal miners to “wear suits and ties” at work.
During a round-table meeting at the event, Ren said the company was also expanding into consumer products such as televisions, computers and tablets, BBC News reported“We can still survive even without relying on phone sales,” Ren said, adding that it is very unlikely the US will remove Huawei from a blacklist that bars companies from working with the Chinese tech firm.
Former US President Donald Trump claimed Huawei can share customer data with the Chinese government, allegations it has repeatedly denied. No proof of this has also been presented by the Five Eyes intelligence group, or any other security agency.
As a result, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker has been limited to making 4G models as it lacks US government permission to import components for 5G models, BBC News reported.
Huawei’s smartphone sales plunged 42% in the last quarter of 2020 as it struggled with a limited supply of microchips due to the sanctions.
Huawei has also been locked out of the development of 5G in a number of countries, including the UK, amid fears over national security.
“The issue here is not like there’s any problems with our quality or experiences of the Huawei products. It’s not a level playing field for Huawei as Huawei is caught in between the geopolitical tensions,” a company spokesman told the BBC.
And so, Huawei appears to be looking for other sources of revenue — moving into cloud computing services, smart vehicles and wearable devices.
Meanwhile, Huawei’s partners envision an entirely different future for the mining industry.
ABB is the world’s largest maker of industrial robots with more than four hundred thousand machines installed worldwide.....
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Asia Times does not link directly to the BBC story, only the front page of the Beeb which is kind of sleazy. Here's "Huawei turns to pig farming as smartphone sales fall"
