A Bit of Good News for Huawei

Once you get blacklisted by the world’s biggest economy, just about anything seems like good news. But this week, Huawei has real reasons to turn those frowns upside down.

Last week, China lent Huawei a hand by privately warning U.S. companies of "dire consequences" if they comply with the White House's ban, per the NYT. And to the north, Russia’s biggest carrier said Huawei will build the country’s 5G network.

• Putin chimed in, calling U.S. attempts to isolate Huawei “unceremonious” and adding his signature spicy/profound Vlad touch: “Some call it the first technological war of the new digital era.”

There’s more

European telco trade group GSMA threw Huawei a bone, estimating that banning its equipment would add 55 billion euros to the continent’s 5G bill and delay network rollouts by 18 months.

In a plot twist, there’s also pushback stateside. Google told U.S. officials the Huawei ban carries its own security risks, per the FT. And the U.S.’ acting budget chief wants to delay the ban because too many U.S. firms use Huawei equipment, especially in rural areas, the WSJ reported yesterday.

Big picture: Huawei’s size and reach may be coming to the rescue.