US FCC expands ban on Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese tech equipment

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced an expanded import ban on equipment from five Chinese technology firms—Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua. The ban now covers not only new models designed after the end of 2022 but also older devices used for public safety, government facilities, critical infrastructure and other national‑security purposes. The restrictions are set to take effect in early July.

The FCC said the measure is needed to reduce risks to the US communications sector. It follows earlier actions that barred all new Chinese drones in December and prohibited new consumer‑grade routers made in China in March. The agency is also reviewing rules that could prevent US telecom operators from interconnecting with Chinese telecom companies, which could effectively block Chinese data‑center operations in the United States. Chinese officials have criticised the move, calling for a fair and non‑discriminatory environment for their firms.