Huawei could become the number one player in the global smartphone market this year

On Thursday, Huawei Technologies said it could become the number one player in the global smartphone market this year even without the U.S. market and as global scrutiny of the firm intensifies.

Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer division chief, suggested there are outside forces seeking to influence Huawei’s sales for political reasons, and he reiterated the company is “doing its best” to continue building its business.

Huawei launches world’s first core chip ‘TIANGANG’ for 5G base stations

“Our customers have trust and confidence in us,” Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer division chief, said at a new-product news conference in Beijing. “It’s only politics guys which are trying to put pressure on us.”

“Even without the U.S. market we will be number one in the world,” Yu said, referring to Huawei’s smartphone division, which shipped 208 million handsets last year. “I believe at the earliest this year, and next year at the latest.”

The company reported a 50% jump in consumer business revenue last year to in excess of $52 billion. It said it aimed to keep the momentum with the launch next month of a foldable smartphone powered by its new fifth-generation (5G) chipset.

The jump meant the consumer business accounted for 48% of total revenue, contributing more than Huawei’s business for telecoms network providers for the first time.

Worldwide smartphone shipments likely fell 3 percent last year, returning to low single-digit growth this year and through 2022, when 5G mobile network technology is likely to give the industry a boost, showed forecasts from consultancy IDC.

At the event, Huawei also unveiled its first 5G chip for base stations — the Tiangang — as well as a 5G modem called the Balong 5000 and the CPE Pro router. The launch was a sneak peek of a full range of Huawei’s 5G line up set to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress next month.