US plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers

The United States plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers soon on national security grounds—a measure designed to prevent scam-related robocalls. The US Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it will vote on November 19 on a proposal to ban China Mobile, China Telecom, 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 ​much 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. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately comment. 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. 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. Other measures under consideration include barring them from connecting to US networks and operating their data centres in the US. Concerns about potential…