Huawei Removed From SD Association and Wi-Fi Alliance, Google Removes Its Phones From Android Enterprise Device List

Following the US ban, Huawei is now temporarily restricted or removed from several elite global-standard organisations that set the future trends in technology. The company is now no longer a member of the SD Association, a group that sets standardisation of SD and microSD cards. Furthermore, it is also no longer a part of the Wi-Fi Alliance group, and the JEDEC group as well. Google has also removed all Huawei devices, including the Nexus 6P, from its Android Enterprise Devices list.

Huawei has been removed from the SD Association as the effects of the US ban continue to grow. The organisation told Nikkia Asian Review, "The SD Association is complying with US Department of Commerce orders.” The organisation is known for making decisions on the development of SD cards and microSD cards used in smartphones. The move implies that Huawei will no longer be able use SD or microSD card slots on its upcoming laptops, smartphones, and tablets. On the smartphone front, the move isn't that much of a deal breaker, as the company appears to have predicted the move when it introduced its new Nano Memory Card standard alongside the Mate 20 series launch in October last year. Furthermore, the report states that Wi-Fi Alliance also "temporarily restricted" participation of Huawei in all decision making till the ban is removed. The organisation sets the standard for wireless technology, and includes big names like Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, and Apple.

Huawei proactively also suspended its participation from JEDEC – an organisation that set semiconductor standards. The company notified the organisation that it would suspend its participation until the ban has been removed. JEDEC includes bigwigs like Qualcomm, Samsung semiconductor, and more. Huawei executive Frank Yang was the vice-chairman at large of JEDEC.

“Huawei values its relationships with all partners and associations around the world and understands the difficult situation they are in. We are hopeful this situation will be resolved and are working to find the best solution," a company spokesperson said in a statement to Nikkei.

As mentioned earlier, Google has also updated its Android Enterprise Devices list to remove all Huawei phones and even the Nexus 6P that was made by Huawei. This list consists of all the recommended secure devices that companies can handover to their employees. Before the ban, Google had many Huawei phones listed on the recommended section and about two dozen on the Android Enterprise partner list. Huawei phones that have been removed include the Mate 10 series, the P20 series, and the Mate 20 series as well. Recently, Google removed the Mate X and the Huawei P30 Pro from Android.com as well.