The US Federal Communications Commission has banned imports of new foreign-made routers citing cybersecurity risks. The order, effective through March 2027, does not affect existing authorised devices. Officials warned such routers could enable espionage and disrupt critical infrastructure, amid rising concerns over Chinese-linked technology.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered a ban on the import of all new foreign-made consumer routers, marking the latest escalation in Washington's crackdown on Chinese technology amid growing cybersecurity fears.

What the ban covers

China is estimated to control at least 60 percent of the US market for home routers - devices that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. The ban covers both Wi-Fi routers and those used to manage wired connections. The FCC order does not impact the import or use of existing models, but will ban new ones. Existing routers with FCC radio authorisation are also unaffected, and the current rules extend through March 1, 2027.

The agency said a White House-convened review determined that imported routers pose "a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure." The FCC added that malicious actors had exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft – citing their role in major hacks including Volt and Salt Typhoon.