(Yicai Global) Jan. 16 -- Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies plans to spend GBP20 million (USD25.5 million) in the United Kingdom to encourage local developers to integrate their apps with Huawei Mobile Services, an equivalent to the Google Mobile Services suite that the company cannot install on its phones.

The Shenzhen-based firm held a conference in London yesterday where it showcased the mobile ecosystem to British firms and highlighted everything it offers, including access to the latest Huawei hardware and artificial intelligence technology, CCTV News reported.

Huawei has accelerated development its own suite of mobile apps since the United States in May banned American firms from supplying tech to the company over concerns for national security. While Huawei can still use Google's Android operating system, its handsets may not use Google Mobile Services, a package of apps for making and receiving calls, messaging, sending and receiving emails, and more.

HMS already has nearly 1 million registered developers and the company plans to invest heavily to increase that number. The service allows app makers to let users log in with their Huawei accounts, make in-app payments, receive push notifications and more, something the firm believes will aid user acquisition and engagement, and revenue.

Rotating Chairman Xu Zhijun said in his message for the New Year that Huawei would spare no effort to build the HMS ecosystem so it could push sales of smartphones overseas. HMS has around 600 million active users worldwide, including 72 million in Europe.

Editor: James Boynton