With Google’s app and services still off-limits to Huawei because of the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China, the telecom giant is reportedly looking to launch its own media services platform by the end of this year. Now, the company’s sub-brand, Honor, is reportedly in talks with the developers behind 150 top mobile apps in India to get them on-board for its Huawei Media Services, or HMS.
That’s according to Charles Peng, the CEO of Huawei and Honor’s Consumer Business Group in India, who recently told ET that the next Honor smartphone with ship with the new platform. According to Peng, “We have our own HMS and are trying to build a mobile ecosystem. Most of the key apps such as navigation, payments, gaming and messaging will be ready by December end”.
He also reassured users that the new platform will perform the same way as the Google Play platform, offering apps, games, movies and other services in a seamless manner. “Consumers won’t see a difference between GMS and HMS. We are focusing on how to work with developers to offer a good customer experience. It is a challenge that we are trying to address”, he said.
He also said that the strategy in India is part of the company’s plans to bring the top 100-150 apps in each country on HMS to ensure consumers don’t find it difficult to transition from Google Media Services (GMS) to Huawei’s platform. “Huawei HQ is in touch with China developers and the India developer base will help us in India as well as regions like Europe. In every country, we will focus on bringing top 100-150 apps to customers through HMS”, he said.
