China-based Huawei Technologies plans to create a mobile phone capable of running blockchain apps, Bloomberg reports, citing two sources in the know. Representatives of the Shenzhen-based corporation are negotiating with Israel’s Sirin Labs to license its operating system SIRIN OS to work alongside Android, which is compatible with blockchain-based applications.
The talks are ongoing, and no documents have been signed yet, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Officials from Huawei and Sirin Labs have been meeting for two months. Bloomberg got access to a screen capture that showed a section of Sirin Lab’s Telegram group chat on February 28. It said:
“Amazing meeting just concluded between Sirin Labs and Huawei. Among other things discussed was the possibility of cooperating together to bring blockchain technology to the masses in a secure way.”
Huawei and Sirin Labs representatives confirmed a meeting had taken place but declined to comment further.
If the collaboration succeeds, we might see the first major mobile phone maker entering the blockchain space and bringing it closer to the general public.
Sirin Labs has been looking into blockchain for a while and is now developing its own blockchain smartphone, Finney. The device, which is advertised as the first open-source blockchain smartphone and all-in-one PC, is expected to cost about $1,000. However, the high price does not seem to deter prospective buyers of this luxury item – 25,000 units have already been pre-ordered.
Last month, Sirin Labs partnered with Emurgo to promote the Cardano blockchain ecosystem.
As for Huawei, it is one of the largest smartphone manufacturers. The company also offers telecom equipment, cloud computing, and cybersecurity solutions. Currently, it is the largest telecom equipment manufacturer worldwide after surpassing Ericsson (BS:ERICAs) in 2012.
Edwin Diender, government and public utility sector VP at Huawei Enterprise Business Group, had positive comments to offer in November regarding blockchain’s potential beyond cryptocurrencies and financial services.
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