eMarketer research analysts Man-Chung Cheung and Hirsch Chitkara and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Yory Wurmser discuss when we'll get 5G, how the pandemic has affected its rollout, what it will make possible, the current dispute between Huawei and the US government and what 5G means for marketers.

China’s 5G rollout has been a resounding success (thus far), despite the pandemic and geopolitical headwinds, which saw the US ban leading telecom equipment providers Huawei and ZTE from accessing computer chips made with US technology for their 5G products.

eMarketer principal analyst and mobile authority Yory Wurmser discusses the implications of the US government’s restrictions on Huawei. What is the administration’s concern? How much will these measures affect Huawei’s business? And what might this mean for US companies?

eMarketer principal analyst Yory Wurmser explains why Huawei is rolling out a proprietary open-source operating system, the iPhone sales slowdown, Uber’s imminent need to turn things around and how Google is making it easier for users to navigate walking directions with the help of augmented reality.

This concern crosses political parties and extends to hardware as well, such as 5G equipment from Chinese hardware manufacturers Huawei or ZTE, both of which the US has banned. Why It Matters for Marketers. International data flows are important to large multinational marketers and marketing platforms.

Many popular phone brands in China, including Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, have already rolled out 5G mobile phones. Huawei reportedly sold 6.9 million 5G smartphones last year. Apple is speculated to launch a 5G phone this year, which will boost demand in China further. Price is undoubtedly a factor, and consumers in China have to pay a premium for being early adopters of 5G phones.

Also expected later this year: a foldable Razr, an Android-powered Microsoft Duo, foldables from LG, Lenovo, and Sony and upgrades from Samsung and Huawei. Foldable laptops are also emerging. Lenovo introduced its ThinkPad X1 Fold, Dell Technologies unveiled the Duet and Ori foldable concepts, and other manufacturers are planning introductions later this year.

More generally, many Western companies have been hesitant to buy equipment from Huawei, the leading global producer of 5G equipment, after its recent scandals. Several countries, including the US, have banned the use of Huawei telecom equipment due to its allegedly close connection with China’s government.

The service is compatible with smartphones such those from Apple, Huawei, Meizu, Oppo, Samsung and Xiaomi. New NFC-enabled wearable devices—such as Xiaomi’s popular Mi Band—are helping to popularize the payment technology. According to Mike Narodovich, executive director of advanced analytics services, “Xiaomi’s Mi Band enables MiPay for a quick, easy NFC payment method.

Huawei dominates the smartphone market in China, where we forecast overall smartphone penetration among the population will exceed 50% in 2019. Additionally, Samsung and Chinese electronics company Xiaomi are competing for marketplace dominance in India, where smartphone penetration will rise from 26.7% in 2019 to 34.4% in 2022.

According to a June 2019 survey by Médiamétrie for the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), 36% of smartphone users in France said their main smartphone brand was Samsung, compared with 29% for Apple and 11% for Huawei. July 2019 measurement by mobile data platform Ogury put Samsung Pay in the lead in France in terms of mobile payment app market share.

For example, Audi announced in 2018 that it was working with Huawei to introduce 5G connectivity in China this year to give its vehicles V2V and V2X capabilities. Rollouts in the US and Europe by Audi and other manufacturers—many of which are still in the exploration phase—will only be a matter of time.

On the latest episode of "Behind the Numbers," we look at the latest smartphone models and anticipate when 5G will finally arrive.

Every week on eMarketer’s “Behind the Numbers” podcast, we take a few minutes to discuss some of the most intriguing headlines of the past seven days. This week, we're chatting about Apple's surprise revenue warning, Roku's move to sell video subscriptions, and bots everywhere.