A Chinese telecommunications company must stop providing services in the United States within 60 days.
The United States has revoked an American license issued by one of the largest telecommunications companies in China for reasons of “national security.”
The members of the Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to cancel the domestic and global permits issued by the agency to China Telecom Americas, which will limit its ability to work in the United States.
China Telecom must stop providing services in America within 60 days.
Officials said the Chinese government’s control over the company gives it the ability to “access, store, disrupt and/or misdirect American communications.”
Thanks to this, it can “engage in espionage and other malicious activities directed against the United States,” the commission said.
The Chinese company, which has provided telecommunications services in the United States for almost 20 years, called the decision “disappointing.”
“We plan to use all available options while continuing to serve our customers,” she said.
China Telecom is one of the three companies dominating the telecommunications market in China. It serves hundreds of millions of customers in 110 countries.
