China’s leading wireless carriers are set to face scrutiny from a U.S. congressional committee seeking answers about their activities and potential involvement in cyber attacks. The committee is investigating China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile regarding their support for the Chinese government and military.
With over one billion subscribers, China Mobile stands out as the largest wireless carrier globally. U.S. lawmakers are increasingly worried that the operations of these Chinese companies in the U.S. could provide unauthorized access to American citizens’ personal data and intellectual property.
The congressional committee asserts that it has uncovered links between high-profile cyber attacks attributed to China and the activities of these carriers on U.S. soil. To compel the companies to respond, a bipartisan group from the House of Representatives selected the committee to utilize its subpoena powers, a measure seldom invoked.
The urgency of this investigation was underscored after the three companies failed to address inquiries from a U.S. Commerce Department probe. Consequently, the committee is now empowered to demand answers from these firms.
A significant concern is the Volt Typhoon attack, which the FBI claims allowed Chinese entities to infiltrate crucial U.S. infrastructure, including telecommunications and energy sectors. China has denied any involvement in this attack and criticized what it perceives as U.S. overreach in invoking national security concerns to undermine Chinese businesses.
Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied China Mobile a license to operate in the U.S. in 2019 and revoked the authorizations of China Telecom and China Unicom in subsequent years, the companies have continued to offer cloud services and route wholesale internet traffic in the U.S. without needing FCC approval. A spokesperson for the committee remarked that the information gathered indicates these platforms facilitate cyber intrusions and other serious security threats.
The deadline for the Chinese wireless carriers to respond to the committee is May 7th. Any failure to comply could result in contempt actions by Congress.