US may bar Chinese telecoms from data centres
US regulators are considering rules that could bar several Chinese telecom firms from operating data centres or connecting with US carriers, and proposals may also ban Chinese labs from testing devices destined for the US market. Those moves would shift national‑security pressure from tariffs into the operational phases of product delivery—testing, certification and interconnects. The proposals could materially alter how device makers sequence testing and choose test labs. (reuters.com, telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com)
Washington is moving from blocking Chinese telecom gear at the border to blocking the plumbing behind it. The Federal Communications Commission said on April 9 it may bar China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from running data centers in the United States or connecting with U.S. carriers. (reuters.com) A data center is just a warehouse full of computers that stores and moves other people’s information. If regulators cut a carrier off from U.S. network connections, that company can still own equipment, but it loses the handshakes that let calls and traffic pass between networks. (reuters.com) These companies were already pushed out of the U.S. telecom market in earlier rounds. The Federal Communications Commission denied China Mobile a U.S. telecom license in 2019, revoked China Unicom’s and Pacific Networks’ licenses in 2021, and revoked China Telecom Americas’ license in 2022. (reuters.com, perkinscoie.com) The new fight is over what those companies can still do after losing those licenses. In December 2025, the Federal Communications Commission said it could bar China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from connecting indirectly to U.S. networks to route traffic and robocalls. (reuters.com) The second front is less visible but hits almost every gadget sold in America. On April 30, the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on a proposal to ban all laboratories in China from testing phones, cameras, computers, and other electronics before those devices can be approved for the U.S. market. (reuters.com, fcc.gov) That sounds bureaucratic until you remember how electronics get sold. A device maker cannot legally market many wireless products in the United States until a recognized lab tests them and the Federal Communications Commission certifies that they meet radio rules. (fcc.gov) The agency already took one step in 2025. It barred 23 labs that were owned or controlled by the Chinese government, and Chairman Brendan Carr said companies then shifted work to privately owned Chinese labs that stayed inside the system. (reuters.com, fcc.gov) The April proposal goes wider than ownership. The Federal Communications Commission said it wants to block testing in countries that do not have reciprocal arrangements with the United States, which would steer more certification work toward U.S. labs or labs in allied countries. (fcc.gov, communicationstoday.co.in) That changes the order in which a product gets built and shipped. A company that now prototypes in Shenzhen, tests in a Chinese lab, and files for U.S. approval may have to move the testing step to another country, adding time, cost, and scheduling risk before a launch. (fcc.gov, telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com) This is part of a broader sequence, not a one-off move. On April 3, the Federal Communications Commission also proposed banning imports of previously approved equipment from companies on its national-security “Covered List,” after stopping approvals of new models from those firms in 2022. (reuters.com, federalregister.gov) So the pressure is shifting from tariffs and headline-grabbing bans on finished gear to the quiet checkpoints every device passes through. The chokepoints now are the server room, the interconnection agreement, and the test bench that decides whether a product can enter the U.S. market at all. (reuters.com, reuters.com)
