China Opens Value-Added Telecom Services to Foreign Firms: 166 Pilot Licences Issued Since February 2025

China’s telecommunications sector has reached a landmark moment. On June 3, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced that since February 2025, it has granted pilot operation approvals to 166 foreign-invested enterprises for value-added telecom services (VAS). These licences cover key sectors including internet data centres (IDC), internet access services, and information services, across four designated pilot zones: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hainan .

The approvals mark the first tangible results of a pilot policy launched in April 2024, which, for the first time, eliminated the previous 50% foreign ownership cap on certain VAS categories. Foreign companies can now set up wholly-owned subsidiaries to operate in these areas without a local joint-venture partner .

A Major Boon for Cloud and Data Centre Multinationals

For foreign operators, especially those in the cloud and data centre business, this policy shift is a significant breakthrough. Previously, entering China’s tightly regulated telecom market required navigating complex ownership restrictions and compliance hurdles. Now, companies can directly establish and wholly own IDC and other service operations within the pilot zones, dramatically lowering barriers to entry .

Industry analysts have described the move as “a major boon for some multinationals” . The first batch of approvals, issued on February 28, 2025, included 13 globally recognized firms such as Deutsche Telekom and Siemens . The rapid scaling to 166 approvals in just over a year signals a strong commitment from Beijing to open this sector. This builds on a broader ecosystem of over 3,100 foreign-invested telecom enterprises now operating across China, whose scope already covers all ten categories of value-added telecom services .

A Strategic Signal Amid Geopolitical Tensions

The policy shift also carries a strategic dimension. The expansion of foreign access comes as the United States tightens its own technology curbs on Chinese carriers. Analysts view Beijing's move as a clear signal that it is courting foreign investment and aligning with high-standard international trade rules, even as technology decoupling pressures intensify globally .

Limited Near-Term Impact on the Domestic Market

Despite the headline figure, the competitive landscape for China’s domestic telecom giants is unlikely to change dramatically in the near future. Industry analysts assess that the impact on the domestic market is “likely to be limited” .

State-backed behemoths like China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile, along with established cloud providers such as Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and Huawei Cloud, retain immense advantages in scale, local infrastructure, and existing customer bases. The pilot program’s geographic confinement to four zones further limits the immediate competitive pressure these foreign newcomers can exert .

Research from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation suggests a complementary dynamic rather than a disruptive one. Foreign entrants typically excel in cross-border solutions and high-end customization, while domestic operators dominate the vast local market and offer ubiquitous services to government and enterprise clients. This creates space for cooperation in market development and international standard-setting .

A Gradual, Controlled Liberalization

The MIIT’s messaging emphasizes steady, high-quality opening rather than a sudden shock to the system. In its official statement, the ministry said it will continue to support qualified foreign enterprises to enter the market, framing the pilot as a way to bring “more diversified telecom services and products” to Chinese consumers and to “further build an open and active market ecosystem” .

The timeline of this liberalization reveals a carefully phased approach. The foundational policy was set with the MIIT’s Circular on April 8, 2024, followed by the first 13 approvals in February 2025 . The expansion to 166 enterprises just over a year later demonstrates that the program is gaining momentum, though it remains firmly within a controlled, pilot-based framework.