Due to the ongoing US trade ban, Huawei has been blocked from utilizing licensed Google apps and services on their future smartphones.
This prompted the Chinese telecommunication giant to develop their own set of Google replacement apps or look for alternative services to cut off their reliance on Google.
Now, Huawei has finally sealed a deal with Dutch’s firm TomTom for the use of their mapping and navigational services to develop apps for their smartphones.
It is expected to provide similar core functionalities as Google Maps which is no longer available in newly launched, or future Huawei smartphones.
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According to TomTom’s spokesman Remco Meerstra, the “deal had been closed some time ago but had not been made public by the company”.
Specific details of the agreements however, were not revealed by either sides.
Besides sourcing for alternative software services, Huawei is also working diligently for alternative hardware suppliers.
A recent report from Reuters had claimed that the U.S. had drafted a new rule which would toughens the trade restrictions on Huawei.
Despite all the headwinds faced by the Chinese telecommunication giant, the firm remains undeterred as they shipped more than 240 million smartphones last year.
Source: Reuters
Featured Image: Huawei Press Center
