Hong Kong telecom HKT agrees to halt US operations under FCC pressure
Hong Kong telecom HKT agreed to stop US operations under a consent decree after the FCC cited national security concerns. The company must file to discontinue services within 30 days and cease by September 2027. The FCC has previously barred other Chinese telecoms from the US market.
HKT, a leading Hong Kong telecom carrier and subsidiary of PCCW Ltd, on Friday agreed to halt its operations in the United States under pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC in October 2025 said it was moving to revoke the authority of HKT to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns and its affiliation with China Unicom, which is a shareholder in PCCW. Under a consent decree reviewed by Reuters, HKT has agreed to stop international and domestic telecom services to and within the United States.
HKT must file an application with the FCC within 30 days to discontinue services and must discontinue US services by 1 September 2027. PCCW declined immediate comment. The agreement means the FCC will not move forward with the revocation proceeding that could have offered more details on Washington's national security concerns.
The FCC has previously barred China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from providing international telecommunications services to the United States, citing broad national security concerns. The Trump administration has continued an extensive crackdown on Chinese telecoms over the past year. The FCC on Thursday voted to ban all Chinese labs from testing US electronics starting from December 2028.
The telecom crackdown has sparked a strong reaction from Beijing. China said Friday it firmly opposes the FCC action on labs, warning it would take necessary countermeasures 'if the US side persists in acting unilaterally.'
The FCC also announced on Thursday it plans to soon ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers on national security grounds. Other measures under consideration include barring Chinese telecom firms from connecting to US networks and from operating their data centers in the US. Concerns about potential spying and other harms from Chinese access to US telecom data have grown in recent years.
In late 2024, Washington said a Chinese state-sponsored cyber espionage group known as Salt Typhoon stole consumers' call records and US call data and infiltrated US telecom firms. China has consistently denied any wrongdoing.