Recently, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) officially updated its control list of devices, stipulating that consumer-grade routers manufactured outside the United States can no longer directly obtain new sales authorizations. This means that new routers manufactured abroad will need conditional approval from the FCC to be sold in the United States.
However, this new regulation is not retroactive; models that have already obtained FCC certification can still be sold, used, and receive firmware updates normally.
As one of the most popular consumer network equipment brands in the US market, TP-Link is in discussions with the FCC, hoping to obtain a conditional sales license after the commission's comprehensive ban on imported routers takes effect, allowing it to continue launching new products.
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Proving its US Company Status
TP-Link met with FCC officials last Thursday, and the company's lawyers and advisors communicated with the commission team. The core purpose of this meeting was to seek an exemption from the FCC's recent "ban on foreign-made routers."
TP-Link repeatedly emphasized a core position: it is a purely American company and has long since completely severed ties with the Chinese company TP-Link.
In its filing with the FCC, TP-Link stated that it holds a 20% market share in the US consumer retail router market. The company stated that its routers have received widespread positive reviews from technology testing organizations, and that the security and reliability of its devices fully meet industry standards. It also reiterated that it initiated the business spin-off process in 2022 and completed the full legal separation in 2024, and is now an independent legal entity headquartered in Irvine, California.
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Public information on TP-Link's website shows that the company's global operations are wholly owned and led by its US headquarters. Founder and CEO Jeffrey Chao and his wife jointly hold all the company's shares and reside in Irvine, California. All core product design and data security-related functions are completed in the United States and are subject to full oversight by US management.
No government, including China, can access or control the design and manufacturing processes of its products. The company also added that since 2018, network products sold to the US market have been manufactured in its own factory in Vietnam, achieving full self-control over the supply chain.
It reiterated that its products and operations pose no threat to U.S. national security.
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TP-Link's Dual Company Structure
Many people may not know that there are actually two completely independent TP-Link companies in the global market. The TP-Link we usually encounter is officially named "TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.", founded in 1996 and headquartered in Shenzhen, primarily responsible for product sales and operations in the Chinese market.
The other company targeted by the U.S. government is "TP-Link Systems Inc.", whose main business is the production and sales of routers outside of China.
In fact, these two companies were originally one. Public information shows that TP-Link was originally founded in 1996 by brothers Zhao Jianjun and Zhao Jiaxing, initially focusing on the research, development, production, and sales of network communication equipment. After years of development, it has grown into a global company with business covering multiple fields such as consumer networks, consumer electronics, enterprise networks and security, carrier networks, software, and cloud services.
In 2022, TP-Link began its business spin-off process. In 2023, they established a new corporate entity in the United States, TP-Link Global Inc. It wasn't until 2024 that the brand was finally legally separated. After the spin-off, TP-Link Systems, headquartered in the US, was fully managed by Zhao Jianjun, while TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd., headquartered in China, was managed by Zhao Jiaxing. The two companies are completely independent; there is no interference or affiliation between them in terms of ownership, management, or operations.
However, despite these adjustments, TP-Link's ties to China have drawn significant attention from US regulatory agencies, particularly regarding the founder's nationality, which has become a key focus of the approval process. We recently reported on Zhao Jianjun's extravagant application for a "Trump Gold Card."
Whether TP-Link will receive conditional approval remains highly uncertain.
