Despite restrictions on doing business with the Chinese telecoms giant, a new rule posted by the U.S. Department of Commerce allows U.S. companies to work with Huawei to develop standards for 5G and other cutting-edge technologies, Reuters is reporting.
Already approved and sent to the Federal Register, the rule will be formally published in the official U.S. government journal on Thursday. According to the publication, the new rule amends the Huawei “entity listing” which restricts sales of U.S. goods and technology to the company.
Citing national security concerns, the U.S. placed Huawei on the restricted list last year. However, industry and government officials now agree that the restrictions backfired in standards settings.
Huawei and 114 of its foreign affiliates on the Entity List “continue to participate in many important international standards organizations in which U.S. companies also participate,” the new rule says.
“As international standards serve as the building blocks for product development and help ensure functionality, interoperability and safety of the products,” the rule explains.
In a statement, Huawei has said that it wants to continue standards discussions with counterparts, including those in the United States.
