AT&T said to have walked away from deal to sell Huawei devices in the US

It’s been widely expected that Huawei would take to the CES 2018 stage this week and announce a deal with AT&T that’d get its phones on the carriers shelves. One day before that announcement was scheduled, though, a report says that the agreement is dead.

AT&T has backed off of a deal to sell Huawei phones in the US. That’s according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal. No explanation for the decision has been given, and a Huawei spokesperson would only say that “Huawei has proven itself by delivering premium devices with integrity globally and in the US market.”

Rumors about AT&T selling the Huawei Mate 10 began surfacing a few months ago, and Huawei recently confirmed that its flagship would be coming to a US carrier in 2018. It’s said that Huawei was planning to announce the news Tuesday, aka tomorrow, but now the company’s deal with AT&T is no more.

Huawei is a big player in mobile markets internationally, but the company hasn’t been able to get a foothold in the US. Huawei has been selling its phones unlocked in the US, but most consumers still buy their phones from their carrier, which gives them an easy way to try a phone in person before buying it and to spread out the payments once they do buy. A deal with AT&T would’ve helped Huawei get its phones in front of many new consumers.

There’s no word of any other US. carriers partnering with Huawei, so for now the company may have to keep selling its devices unlocked. Huawei’s CES 2018 keynote is happening tomorrow, and it’ll be interesting to see what the company has to say. Stay tuned.

source: androidandme