Huawei Technologies reportedly wants to sell a multibillion-dollar stake in its mobile devices division to a foreign investor. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the situation, said that the sale is still in the early stages, but could help the Chinese telecom equipment maker break into the North American market.

The Journal said that later this month Huawei plans to invite investors to bid for a significant stake in its mobile devices business.

Last year, the company partnered with Bain Capital Partners and launched a $2.2 billion bid for U.S.-based 3Com. Regulators put a stop to the deal, citing 3Com’s contracts with U.S. government security agencies. But if a U.S. buyer were to invest in the Chinese telecom equipment maker, the deal would be less likely to cause concern, and still allow Huawei better access to the U.S. market. Huawei announced its first U.S. handset launch with MetroPCS late last year.