US plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers
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US Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr speaks during a press conference in Washington on July 22.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The US plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers. The FCC will vote on Nov 19, citing national security and scam robocall risks.
- The proposal targets China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, plus other IP-enabled providers. It also seeks to block firms using Huawei or ZTE equipment and to bar Chinese labs from testing US electronics from December 2028.
- The move follows fears of spying and telecom data theft, including the Salt Typhoon cyber espionage case. China has denied wrongdoing, while the FCC says it is strengthening its “first line of defence".
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WASHINGTON – The United States plans to soon ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers on national security grounds – a measure designed to prevent scam-related robocalls.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Oct 29 that it will vote on Nov 19 on a proposal to ban China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom and other IP-enabled service providers from direct access.
For telecom firms providing Voice over Internet Protocol – technology that converts voice into digital data and transmits it over broadband connections – direct access is a cheaper option and makes it easier to offer advanced features.
“With this decision, the FCC will be strengthening our first line of defence against bad actors and illegal robocallers,” FCC chair Brendan Carr said in a statement.
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Oct 30 that it firmly opposes the likely US ban and accused Washington of overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress Chinese enterprises.
“China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a daily press conference.
The FCC also said on Oct 29 that it plans to bar IP-enabled service providers that use equipment from companies on its list that pose national security risks, including Huawei or ZTE.
It added that it would ban all Chinese labs from testing US electronics in December 2028 and may also revoke direct number authorisations for Chinese firms that it deems to pose national security risks. It has previously barred China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from providing international telecommunications services to the US.
Other measures under consideration include barring them from connecting to US networks and from operating their data centres in the United States.
Concerns about the potential for spying and other harms to arise from Chinese access to US telecom data and infrastructure have grown in recent years.
In late 2024, Washington said a Chinese state-sponsored cyber espionage group known as Salt Typhoon stole consumers’ call records, US call data and infiltrated US telecommunications and telecom infrastructure firms. The FBI said in 2026 that threats from Salt Typhoon are “still very much ongoing”.
In July, it added California-based Digitalsystem Technology to a list of companies posing risks to US national security, citing links to Chinese telecom firms and its ownership by a Chinese national.
China has consistently denied any wrongdoing. REUTERS