China Telecommunications Corporation

China Telecommunications Corporation (Template:Zh) is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication conglomerate. It is the largest fixed-line service and one of the three major mobile telecommunication providers in China.

The corporation has three listed companies: China Telecom Corporation Limited (Template:Zh), China Communications Services Corporation Limited (Template:Zh), and Besttone Holding Co., Ltd. (Template:Zh).

History

The company originated as a government agency of the Template:Ill. On 27 April 1995, it was registered as a separate legal entity as Directorate General of Telecommunications, P&T, China, using "China Telecom" as brand name.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On 17 May 2000 it was registered as China Telecommunications Corporation. In May 2002, China Netcom Corporation was spun off as a separate company that was also supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council directly. It also owned subsidiaries in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan and Shandong that formerly belonged to China Telecommunications Corporation.<ref name=ChinaTelecomGroup2009AR>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the United States Department of Defense, the company has links to the People's Liberation Army.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 10 September 2002, a subsidiary, China Telecom, was listed.<ref name=ChinaTelecom2016AR>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The listed company gradually acquired the assets from China Telecommunications Corporation.<ref name=ChinaTelecom2016AR/> Template:As of, however, China Telecommunications Corporation still owned the controlling stake in the company, for 70.89%.<ref name=ChinaTelecom2016AR/>

In 2009 China Telecommunications Corporation received some of the assets of China Satellite Communications.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The company provides fixed-line and Xiaolingtong (Personal Handy-phone System) telephone services to 216 million people as of April 2008,<ref>China Telecom Key Performance Indicators</ref>Template:Failed verification and broadband internet access to over 38 million subscribers, providing approximately 62% (46 Gbit/s) of China's internet bandwidth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 2 June 2008, China Telecommunications Corporation announcedTemplate:Citation needed that it would purchase China Unicom's nationwide CDMA business and assets for Template:CNY, giving it 43 million mobile subscribers.<ref name=forbes/> According to the company, the listed portion of China Telecom Group (China Telecom Corp., Ltd.) paid Template:CNY, the unlisted portion of China Telecom Group (China Telecommunications Corporation) paid Template:CNY.<ref name=ChinaTelecomGroup2009AR/>

On 7 January 2009, China Telecommunications Corporation was awarded CDMA 2000 license to expand its business to 3G telecommunication.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

U.S. sanctions

Template:Further In November 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order prohibiting U.S. companies and individuals from owning shares in companies that the United States Department of Defense has listed as having links to the People's Liberation Army, which included China Telecom.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> In consequence of the executive order, the New York Stock Exchange delisted China Telecom in January 2021.<ref name=":0" />

In December 2020, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated proceedings to revoke China Telecom's authorization to operate in the U.S. due to national security concerns.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2021, the FCC revoked China Telecom's operating license in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2022, the FCC designated a U.S. subsidiary of the company, China Telecom (Americas) Corp, a national security threat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2024, the United States Department of Commerce moved to crack down on China Telecom's cloud and internet routing business in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Consolidation and expansion

On 2 June 2008, the company announced it would acquire China Unicom's CDMA business and network for Template:CNY in cash, a series of transactions aimed at transforming the company into a fully integrated telecommunications operator.<ref name=forbes>Template:Cite news</ref>

Such shifts mark a new era for the telecommunications industry in China in which analyst have further commented that these changes are aimed at promoting a more fair and competitive industry environment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

China Telecom was chosen by the Chinese Government as an investor in the Philippines for providing telecom services.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were later chosen as 'provisional' telecommunications provider of the country after a bidding led by the Philippine government on November 7, 2018. As current laws restrict foreign ownership to 40%, China Telecom (through its parent company)<ref name="ditogetspermit">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="mislateltorebrand">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="prrdhandsmislatel">Template:Cite web</ref> forms a venture with local companies Udenna Corporation (owner of Phoenix Petroleum) and Chelsea Logistics under the franchise of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company, Inc (or the Mislatel consortium). The selection was formalized on 20 November after the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission junked petitions from its rival bids.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> On 8 July 2019, Mislatel was renamed to Dito Telecommunity and at the same time, was granted its permit to operate.<ref name="ditogetspermit" /><ref name="mislateltorebrand" /><ref name="prrdhandsmislatel" /> The firm began its commercial operations on 8 March 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Subsidiaries

• Besttone Holding (58.45%, excluding shares held by China Telecom)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• China Communications Services
• China Telecom
• Dito Telecommunity (40% stake)

Allegations of rerouted Internet traffic

On 8 April 2010, China Telecom rerouted about 15% of foreign Internet traffic through Chinese servers for 18 minutes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The traffic included the commercial websites of Dell, IBM, Microsoft, and Yahoo! as well as U.S. government and military sites.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> China Telecom denied hijacking any Internet traffic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• Communications in China
• Telecommunications industry in China
• List of largest companies by revenue
• List of telephone operating companies
• List of telecommunications regulatory bodies

External links

• Template:Official website