Today officials at
LG have denied an earlier report from
The Korean Times that stated
LG was partnering with
Huawei in
order to penetrate into the entry level
smartphone market. When asked about the alleged joint venture
LG officials, speaking to
The Verge said "there is no discussion now or in the past with
Huawei on any aspects of
LG Electronics’ business."
The Korean Times article that initiated the rumor had quoted senior analyst Mark C.
Newman from the
U.S. financial analysis firm
Sanford C. Bernstein who had said that "
LG is considering establishing a
JV with
Huawei to revive its
smartphone business." And that
LG was feeling "a sense of urgency" because it was falling behind in growing markets such as China and India.
Judging by the quotes provided by The Verge, LG is pretty adamant that it is not entering into a joint venture or any other partnership with Huawei. While Newman seemed to have missed the mark in his analyst, the connection would make sense, as LG has been falling behind with entry level phones, especially in the emerging markets and a joint venture with Huawei would seemingly be the best way to solve that.
We will keep you up to date if anything changes.