The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on November 19 on a proposal to prevent China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, alongside other IP-enabled providers, from obtaining direct access to US telephone numbers.

The measure aims to strengthen safeguards against scam-related robocalls and keep companies identified as security risks from accessing the US telecommunications system.

China’s embassy in Washington criticised the proposal, saying it “severely hinders normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American businesses” and does not serve US companies or consumers, Reuters reported.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the measure would strengthen the agency’s “first line of defense against bad actors and illegal robocallers”.

The proposal follows earlier FCC actions. The commission rejected China Mobile’s application to provide US telecommunications services in 2019, revoked China Telecom Americas’ authorisation in 2021 and withdrew China Unicom Americas’ authorisation in 2022.

Washington’s scrutiny also extends to Huawei, whose telecommunications equipment the FCC classified as a national security risk.

Since 2021, the agency has restricted authorisations for new Huawei equipment over concerns about threats to communications networks. Huawei has disputed the allegations.

Hong Kong-based operator HKT has also faced pressure. On October 30, 2026, it agreed to end its US telecommunications operations following an FCC proceeding to revoke its authorisation on national security grounds. The PCCW subsidiary, which has a shareholder connection to China Unicom, must discontinue its US services by September 1, 2027.

In Nigeria, China Mobile International is partnering with 21st Century Technologies to develop cloud computing and AI infrastructure using the Nigerian company’s Lagos data centres. The June 2026 agreement includes locally hosted services, with deployment under way, BusinessDay reported.

In South Africa, China Telecom signed an MoU with MTN and Huawei in November 2024 to explore cooperation in 5G, cloud computing, AI and Internet of Things services, including mining applications.

The FCC proposal however, targets access to US telephone numbers, not these African projects.

Washington’s concerns also reflect the 2024 Salt Typhoon cyber-espionage campaign, which US officials attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored group accused of infiltrating telecom networks and stealing call records.

Beijing has denied wrongdoing.