五年前，中國通訊設備巨頭華為（Huawei）在全球手機市場只占1%的份額。不過自那以后，它迅速崛起，成為了過去兩年中全球第三大手機銷售商。

而且，公司還是在幾乎被美國市場完全拒之門外的情況下實現這一成就的。

華為并不是沒有嘗試過。公司起初計劃聯手谷歌（Google）卻遭遇挫敗，最近又試圖通過網絡零售商銷售無鎖手機，卻也收效甚微。如今，華為面臨著美國手機市場的一個重要事實：大部分手機都是通過運營商銷售的。

The Information網站首先爆出，華為正嘗試與美國最大的移動運營商之一AT&T達成協議，不過雙方的談話還只是剛剛開始。據知情人士透露，華為希望AT&T同意讓華為專有的麒麟手機芯片使用AT&T的網絡，交涉目前處于初期階段。

然而，AT&T目前還沒有給麒麟芯片開放授權，而且該公司經常收到這樣的申請，也并不是都予以通過。即便芯片獲得了授權，華為還需要與AT&T商討銷售其手機的完整條款和條件，而這一步尚未開始。

兩家公司都拒絕對此事做出評論。

IDC的數據顯示，華為去年在智能手機市場占據了近10%的份額，僅次于三星（Samsung）和蘋果（Apple）。公司的消費電子產品部門主管余承東在接受《財富》（Fortune）采訪時表示，他希望在明年的某個時候超過蘋果，達到15%的市場占有率。

華為之前的增長主要來源于在中國和歐洲等市場銷售廉價手機。為了打破美國市場的堅冰，華為開始提供擁有萊卡（Leica）鏡頭等優質特色的高端產品。不過上個月在巴塞羅那發布新款旗艦機P10時，華為并未透露它登陸美國的具體日期。公司的中端機型Mate 9的無鎖版，已經在亞馬遜（Amazon）、百思買（Best Buy）等美國網站有售，還得到了之前曾參與拍攝蘋果Mac廣告的演員賈斯汀·隆的代言。

不過依靠這種只在網上銷售無鎖機的做法，華為離取代蘋果還差得很遠。公司之前曾計劃為谷歌代工Nexus手機，但由于銷量低迷最終擱淺。之后在Pixel的合作中，谷歌不希望產品上出現華為的品牌標志，促使華為放棄了這個項目。

所以如今，華為將希望寄托在了運營商上，不過公司的選擇很有限。只有AT&T和T-Mobile的移動網絡與華為的芯片產品完全兼容。而這家中國廠商正在起訴T-Mobile。

讓芯片得到AT&T的授權，將是華為邁出的堅實的第一步。但想讓交易徹底達成（如果能達成的話），手機真正進入AT&T的門店銷售，華為仍需要很長的時間。假如交易失敗，華為要打破美國市場的堅冰還將面臨漫長的苦戰。（財富中文網）

作者：Aaron Pressman

譯者：嚴匡正

Five years ago, Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei sold barely 1% of mobile phones worldwide. It has since grown quickly, becoming the third-largest seller for the past two years.

And it reached that level while being almost entirely shut out of the U.S. market.

That's not for a lack of trying. An initial strategy of cozying up to Google flopped and a more recent attempt based on selling unlocked phones via online retailers did little to move the needle. Now Huawei is facing up to one of the big realities of the U.S. phone market: most phone sales still go through the carriers.

As first reported by the web site The Information, Huawei is trying to work out a deal with AT&T, one of the largest U.S. carrier, but talks have barely begun. The Chinese manufacturer is in the early stages of having AT&T approve its proprietary Kirin mobile phone chip set for use on AT&T's network, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Still, AT&T has yet to accredit Kirin and is frequently approached for such approvals, which are not always granted. Even if the chips are approved, Huawei would have to negotiate full terms and conditions for AT&T stocking its phones, a next step that's yet to begin.

Both companies declined to comment.

Huawei captured almost 10% of the global smartphone market last year, trailing only Samsung and Apple (aapl, -1.15%), according to IDC. And Richard Yu, who heads the company's consumer electronics unit, has told Fortune that he's aiming to pass Apple and its 15% share sometime next year.

Much of the company's prior growth has come from selling less expensive phones in markets like China and Europe. To crack the U.S. market, Huawei has been offering higher end models with premium features like Leica cameras. But when it introduced its new flagship, the P10, last month in Barcelona, it didn't have anything to say on a date for U.S. availability. A mid-tier model, the Mate 9, is sold unlocked in the U.S. on sites like Amazon (amzn, -1.64%) and Best Buy (bby, -3.27%) and backed by ads starring actor and former Apple Mac pitchman Justin Long.

But the online-only, unlocked effort hasn't produced anywhere near the volume of sales that Huawei needs to overtake Apple. An earlier plan to make Nexus phones for Google (googl, -2.05%) ran aground when sales failed to take off. Then on the latest Pixel line, Google didn't want Huawei's brand to appear on the devices, prompting Huawei to drop the project.

So now it's on to the carriers, with which Huawei's options are limited. Only AT&T (t, -0.80%) and T-Mobile (tmus, -1.01%) run mobile networks fully compatible with Huawei's chip line. And the Chinese manufacturer is suing T-Mobile.

Getting its chipset accredited by AT&T would be a solid first step. But there's still a long time to go before a deal is reached—if ever—for AT&T to actually stock the phones in its stores. And without that deal, it's going to be a long slog to break into the U.S. market.