Huawei maintains its market share in South Africa despite the loss of Google services

Huawei maintains its market share in South Africa despite the loss of Google services 

Huawei has maintained a relatively large share of the South African mobile operator market, despite losing access to Google services in May 2019. The country continues to be an important market for Huawei. 

The manufacturer’s vice president of Akhram Mohamed, said the country has been and will remain a key market for Huawei. 

“We have a very healthy share of the smartphone market, and our extended hardware portfolio of PCs, wearables and audio devices continues to show exceptional growth in their respective segments,” Mohamed said. 

“We will continue to invest in South Africa and are looking forward to even greater success in future.” 

The company made a significant investment in Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and its app ecosystem after losing Google services. 

“We have placed great importance on South African-specific apps and content, and as a result, our devices have proven to be very successful in the local market,” he said. 

The company’s market share in May 2019 was 22.86%. By August 2020 it had risen to almost 30%. However, shortly thereafter, market share declined and is steadily declining to 22.3% today. 

The loss of Google Mobile Services and other US mobile industry players took about a year to phase out. 

Smartphones already on the market are not separated from Google’s platform service for Android and only new devices were affected. 

By Palesa Bacwadi 

Main Image: CNBC