Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, JEDEC alliances quietly reinstate Huawei's memberships

The Wi-Fi Alliance, Bluetooth SIG, and JEDEC have followed the lead of the SD Alliance and quietly reinstated Huawei's memberships in the three major industry bodies.

Huawei's logo on display at the Vivatech startups and innovation fair in Paris on May 16, 2019. [Photo: AFP]

Huawei had been stripped of its memberships after United States President Donald Trump declared two weeks ago that its products are a national security risk. The company was subsequently added to the U.S. Department of Commerce list of organizations subject to export controls.

The Wi-Fi Alliance explained that it was following an instruction from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and that it had restricted Huawei's activity in the association rather than cancel its membership. And the JEDEC, which provides global standards for the microelectronics industry, claimed that it is Huawei itself asking to suspend its membership while the American government's ban on trading with the company remains in place.

Huawei is a member of more than 400 standards organization, industry alliances, and open-source communities. The company argues that industry organizations should not restrict, suspend, or terminate the membership of the company, as it is complying with the membership rules.