Huawei is testing its own operating system, to be named "HongMeng OS" for the China market or "Oak OS" for the overseas market, which is likely to be launched in the third quarter of 2019, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on Friday.
Richard Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei's consumer business, confirmed earlier its "HongMeng OS" is likely to be launched this fall.
The system could be rolled out as early as August and September, according to sources.
Google announced on May 20 that it would cut suppliers with Huawei to comply with the export ban by the U.S. government, but it later followed a decision by U.S. officials to give the Chinese company a three-month grace period, which the Chinese company said doesn't mean much.
Industry analysts cautioned that Google's supply cut to Huawei might hurt the company in the short term, but would force the company to reduce reliance on foreign tech giants like Google, and will reshape the current software market dominated by U.S. companies.
It seems that Google has already felt the threat from Huawei's quick shift, according to media reports. Financial Times reported on Thursday that Google warned that if the U.S. administration moves ahead with its sweeping ban on Huawei, it risks compromising national security.
Google in particular is concerned it would not be allowed to update its Android operating system on Huawei smartphones, and would prompt Huawei to develop its own version of the software, FT reported, citing people close to Google's lobbying efforts.
Huawei has been working on its own OS for years as an insurance policy in case of losing access to U.S. technologies such as the Android system, while the move has been picking up significantly as U.S. intensified its global ban on the Chinese tech giant.
Huawei has filed several applications with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for trademarks for the OS and other software.
