Chinese company; Unicom has been ordered to end telecommunications services in the US.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to revoke the authorization for China Unicom’s US unit to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns.
Unicom is one of several Chinese telecom companies that have been banned from operating in certain countries.
The 4-0 vote to revoke the authority granted in 2002 is the latest move by the American regulator to bar Chinese telecommunications carriers from the US because of national security concerns.
The order requires China Unicom Americas to end domestic interstate and international telecommunications services in the US within 60 days of the order’s publication.
In a statement released from China Unicom through the company’s lawyer, he said there were no “justifiable grounds” for the United States to ban the company from operating in the country on national security concerns without affording the required due process.
It added that China Unicom would “proactively protect the rights and interests of the company and its customers”.
The FCC said China Unicom Americas was ultimately owned and controlled by the Chinese government.
FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said since the company had been approved to operate in the US, “the national security landscape has shifted and there has been mounting evidence — and with it, a growing concern — that Chinese state-owned carriers pose a real threat to the security of our telecommunications networks”.