- China’s telecom value-added services (VAS) liberalization has reached 166 foreign-funded pilot approvals as of the first half of 2026. 截至 2026 年上半年，增值电信业务扩大开放试点已向 166 家外资企业发放批复。
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) runs the pilot in Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, and Shenzhen. 工业和信息化部在北京、上海、海南、深圳四地实施增值电信业务扩大对外开放试点。
- The first batch of 13 foreign-funded enterprises received approvals in February 2025 across the four pilot cities. 首批 13 家外资企业试点批复于 2025 年 2 月发放，覆盖北京、上海、海南、深圳。
- Nationwide foreign-invested telecom enterprises total 3,219, up 23.9% year-on-year, now covering all 10 VAS categories. 全国外商投资电信企业累计达 3219 家，同比增长 23.9%，经营范围已覆盖全部 10 项增值电信业务。
- Foreign firms may operate internet access, online data processing and transaction processing, and information services. 外资企业可开展互联网接入服务、在线数据处理与交易处理、信息服务等增值电信业务。
- A State Council Information Office briefing on 20 July 2026 reported telecom business volume up 7.9% year-on-year in H1 2026. 国新办 2026 年 7 月 20 日新闻发布会介绍，上半年电信业务总量同比增长 7.9%。
- The sector has entered a new phase of institutional opening with full-business coverage and transparent rules. 这标志着我国电信业从局部渐进探索迈入全业务覆盖、规则透明的制度型开放新阶段。
Telecom VAS Liberalization Reaches 166 Foreign-Funded Approvals: A Milestone in China’s Services Opening | 增值电信业务扩大开放累计 166 家外资获批：服务业开放里程碑
Overview
China’s opening of its telecom value-added services (VAS) sector to foreign investment has reached a new milestone. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), by the first half of 2026 the pilot program for expanding opening in telecom value-added services had granted approvals to 166 foreign-funded enterprises. This development marks a decisive shift: the country’s telecom sector has moved from localized, incremental exploration into a new phase of institutional opening characterized by full-business coverage and transparent rules.
The pilot is led by MIIT and implemented in four locations—Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, and Shenzhen. These cities were selected as the testing ground for wider foreign participation in a sector long subject to ownership and market-access restrictions. The expansion builds on a clear policy trajectory in which China has progressively widened market access for foreign investors in services, with telecom VAS positioned as a strategically important yet lower-risk entry point relative to basic telecom services.
Pilot rollout
The pilot began in earnest in February 2025, when the first batch of 13 foreign-funded enterprises received pilot approvals across the four designated cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, and Shenzhen. That initial tranche established the administrative template: foreign applicants submit to the local communications authority, which reviews against the pilot scope and forwards qualified cases to MIIT for the formal pilot approval.
From those first 13 approvals in early 2025, the cumulative count climbed steadily through the year and into 2026. By the first half of 2026, the total had reached 166 foreign-funded pilot approvals. The acceleration reflects both rising foreign appetite and the maturing of the review and approval process, which has become more predictable as precedents accumulate.
Scale of opening
The aggregate picture underscores the breadth of the opening. As of the first half of 2026, nationwide foreign-invested telecom enterprises totaled 3,219, up 23.9% compared with the same period last year. Critically, the business scope of these enterprises now covers all 10 value-added telecom service categories listed in the Telecom Business Classification Catalogue. This is the first time the full set of VAS categories has been reachable by foreign-invested operators under the pilot framework.
The State Council Information Office (SCIO) press conference on 20 July 2026, reviewing industrial and information technology development in the first half of 2026, reported that total telecom business volume grew 7.9% year-on-year and that the level of openness in the telecom sector continued to rise steadily. The figures provide official confirmation that opening has been accompanied by healthy sector growth rather than disruption.
Covered services
Under the pilot, foreign-funded enterprises may engage in a defined set of value-added telecom services. The core permitted activities include:
- Internet access services — provision of internet connectivity to end users and enterprises.
- Online data processing and transaction processing — platforms that handle data exchange and support e-commerce and transaction settlement.
- Information services — content and information delivery services, including application stores, information publishing, and related value-added offerings.
These categories sit within the broader 10-category VAS framework of the Telecom Business Classification Catalogue. Foreign investors entering through the pilot are expected to operate within the approved scope and to comply with China’s cybersecurity, data, and content regulations, which apply equally to domestic and foreign operators.
How foreign firms apply
Foreign investors interested in the pilot generally follow a structured path:
- Choose a pilot location. Establish or designate a presence in one of the four pilot cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, or Shenzhen—as the pilot operating base.
- Confirm eligible business scope. Map the intended services to the permitted VAS categories (internet access, online data processing and transaction processing, information services, and others within the pilot scope).
- Submit to the local communications authority. File the pilot application with the provincial or municipal communications administration in the chosen city, including corporate, technical, and compliance documentation.
- MIIT pilot approval. The local authority reviews and, for qualified cases, escalates to MIIT, which issues the formal pilot approval for value-added telecom operations.
- Operate within scope. Upon approval, the enterprise conducts the approved VAS within the pilot region while meeting ongoing regulatory and reporting obligations.
Practical timelines vary by case complexity and completeness of filings, but the accumulation of 166 approvals indicates a workable, repeatable process rather than a one-off exercise.
Practical notes
For foreign entrants, several points merit attention. First, the pilot remains geographically bounded to the four cities; operations outside them require separate authorization. Second, the full 10-category coverage refers to the aggregate national picture—an individual approval still defines the specific categories a given enterprise may run. Third, foreign operators remain fully subject to China’s data security, personal-information protection, and content supervision regimes. Finally, the steady 23.9% year-on-year growth in foreign-invested telecom enterprises signals a receptive environment, but success still depends on local partnerships, compliance readiness, and a clear service proposition.
Related reading
- MIIT’s official portal publishes the governing notices and the list of approved pilot enterprises.
- The People’s Posts and Telecommunications News coverage of the 20 July 2026 SCIO briefing details the “acceleration” of telecom-sector opening in the first half of 2026.
- MIIT reporting on the first Beijing approvals in February 2025 documents the opening of the pilot to four foreign-funded enterprises in the capital.
增值电信业务扩大开放累计 166 家外资获批：服务业开放里程碑
概述
我国增值电信业务对外资的扩大开放已迈上新台阶。据工业和信息化部数据，截至 2026 年上半年，增值电信业务扩大开放试点已累计向 166 家外资企业发放经营试点批复。这一进展具有标志性意义：我国电信业正从局部、渐进式的探索，迈入全业务覆盖、规则透明的制度型开放新阶段。
该试点由工业和信息化部牵头，在北京、上海、海南、深圳四地实施。这四个城市被选为扩大外资参与的试验田——在此之前，电信领域长期受到股权比例与市场准入限制。此项扩大开放建立在清晰的政策脉络之上：中国持续稳步放宽服务业外资准入，而增值电信业务相对于基础电信业务风险更可控，成为重要的先行开放切入点。
试点推进
试点于 2025 年 2 月正式起步，首批 13 家外资企业试点批复在北京、上海、海南、深圳四地发放。这一首批批复确立了行政管理模板：外资申请人向地方通信主管部门提交申请，主管部门依据试点范围审核，并将符合条件的案件报送工业和信息化部，由其发放正式试点批复。
从 2025 年初的首批 13 家，到 2026 年上半年累计达 166 家，批复数量稳步攀升。这种加速既反映出外资热情的上升，也体现出审核与批复流程的日趋成熟——随着先例不断积累，审批预期变得更加可预测。
开放规模
整体数据凸显了开放的广度。截至 2026 年上半年，全国外商投资电信企业累计达 3219 家，较去年同期增长 23.9%。尤为关键的是，这些企业的经营范围已覆盖《电信业务分类目录》全部 10 项增值电信业务。这是试点框架下外资运营商首次能够触及全部增值电信业务类别。
国务院新闻办公室 2026 年 7 月 20 日举行的新闻发布会，介绍了 2026 年上半年工业和信息化发展情况：电信业务总量同比增长 7.9%，电信业开放发展水平稳步提升。数据从官方层面确认，开放并未带来行业震荡，而是伴随了健康增长。
覆盖业务
在试点框架下，外资企业可开展一组明确界定的增值电信业务，核心许可活动包括：
- 互联网接入服务——向终端用户和企业提供互联网连接。
- 在线数据处理与交易处理——支撑数据交换、电子商务及交易结算的平台业务。
- 信息服务——内容与信息递送服务，包括应用商店、信息发布及相关增值业务。
上述类别均位于《电信业务分类目录》更宽泛的 10 项增值电信业务框架之内。通过试点进入的外资企业须在获批范围内运营，并遵守中国的网络安全、数据与内容监管规定——这些规定对内外资经营者一视同仁。
外资企业如何申请
有意参与试点的外资投资者通常遵循结构化路径：
- 选定试点城市。 在北京、上海、海南、深圳四地之一设立或指定运营主体，作为试点运营基地。
- 确认可开展业务范围。 将拟开展业务映射到许可的增值电信业务类别（互联网接入、在线数据处理与交易处理、信息服务等试点范围内的业务）。
- 向地方通信主管部门申报。 向所选城市的省或市级通信管理局提交试点申请，包括企业、技术与合规材料。
- 工业和信息化部试点批复。 地方主管部门审核后，将符合条件者上报工信部，由其发放增值电信业务经营试点正式批复。
- 在范围内运营。 获批后，企业在试点区域内开展获批增值电信业务，并履行持续监管与报送义务。
实际周期因个案复杂程度与材料完备度而异，但 166 家批复的积累表明，这已是一套可运转、可复制的流程，而非一次性安排。
实务提示
对外资进入者而言，有几点值得关注。其一，试点仍受四地地理边界约束，在范围外运营需另行授权。其二，”全部 10 类覆盖”是指全国层面的总体图景——单家批复仍界定该企业具体可开展的业务类别。其三，外资运营商同样须完全遵守中国的数据安全、个人信息保护与内容监管制度。最后，外商投资电信企业 23.9% 的同比增长释放出积极信号，但成功仍取决于本地伙伴、合规准备与清晰的服务定位。
延伸阅读
- 工业和信息化部官网发布试点 governing 通知及获批企业名单。
- 人民邮电报对 2026 年 7 月 20 日国新办发布会的报道，详述了 2026 年上半年电信业扩大开放的”加速度”。
- 工业和信息化部关于 2025 年 2 月北京首批批复的报道，记录了首都 4 家外资企业取得试点批复的开放进程。
Sources
- 工业和信息化部（增值电信业务扩大开放试点主管单位）：https://www.miit.gov.cn/
- 人民邮电报 / 国新办 2026 上半年工业和信息化发展新闻发布会，电信业扩大开放”加速度”：https://rmydb.cnii.com.cn/html/2026/20260724/20260724_001/20260724_001_05_8088.html
- 北京 4 家外资企业取得增值电信业务扩大开放试点批复（工业和信息化部）：https://www.miit.gov.cn/xwfb/gxdt/dfdt/art/2025/art_b47d4bb2199148adbf7172beda5b8d12.html