US plans to ban Chinese telecom firms

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 said on Thursday that it will vote on November 19 on a proposal to ban China Mobile 600941.SS, China Telecom 601728.SS and China Unicom 0762.HK 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 much cheaper option and makes it easier to offer advanced features.

"With this decision, the FCC will be strengthening our first line of defense against bad actors and illegal robocallers," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington criticized the action, saying it "severely hinders normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American businesses and is not in the interest of any party including US companies and consumers."

The FCC also said on Thursday that it plans to bar IP-enabled service providers that use equipment from companies on the FCC's list that pose national security risks, including Huawei or ZTE 000063.SZ.

The agency added that it would ban all Chinese labs from testing US electronics in December 2028 and may also revoke direct number authorizations for Chinese companies that it deems to pose national security risks.

The FCC has previously barred China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from providing international telecommunications services to the United States.