US Plans Ban on Chinese Telecom Firms' Direct Phone Number Access
The United States intends to soon prohibit Chinese telecom companies from having direct access to US phone numbers for national security reasons - a step aimed at curbing scam-related robocalls.
The US Federal Communications Commission announced on Thursday that it will hold a vote on November 19 regarding a proposal to prevent China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, and other IP-enabled service providers from having direct access.
For telecommunications companies offering Voice over Internet Protocol – a technology that transforms voice into digital data and sends it over broadband connections – direct access is a less expensive choice and facilitates the provision of advanced features.
"By making this choice, the FCC is reinforcing our initial protection against malicious individuals and unlawful robocallers," stated FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
The FCC announced on Thursday its intention to prohibit IP-enabled service providers from utilizing equipment from firms on the FCC's list that present national security threats, such as Huawei or ZTE.
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The agency stated it would prohibit all Chinese laboratories from testing US electronics by December 2028 and might also withdraw direct number authorizations for Chinese firms identified as national security threats.
The FCC has previously prohibited China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from offering international telecommunications services to the United States.
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Additional options being explored involve preventing them from linking to US networks and from managing their data centers within the US.
Worries regarding the possibility of espionage and other risks resulting from Chinese access to US telecommunications data and infrastructure have increased in recent years.
In late 2024, Washington reported that a Chinese state-backed cyber espionage group called Salt Typhoon accessed consumers' call records, US call data, and compromised US telecommunications and telecom infrastructure companies.
The FBI said this year that threats from Salt Typhoon are "still very much ongoing."
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In July, the FCC 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.