On 6 November 2026 China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published a notice on strengthening network-access management of "AI-agent terminal devices" (document 工信厅信管〔2026〕42号, dated 24 October). It is one of the first national rules anywhere aimed specifically at consumer devices that ship with autonomous AI agents.
What is covered
The notice defines an AI-agent terminal as a phone, tablet, wearable or other telecoms terminal with a preinstalled agent. An agent is an intelligent system with autonomous perception, memory, decision-making, interaction and execution capabilities.
The main requirements
- Network-access testing. Agent terminals must undergo agent compatibility verification against the relevant standards as part of China's network-access (进网) testing. They also need a fraud-risk security assessment and an advance evaluation of their anti-fraud capabilities.
- Identity codes. Agents used on terminals should carry a unique identity code, with reference to the national standards on agent interconnection.
- Consistency and changes. Manufacturers must make sure that devices sold match the devices that were licensed. Any major change has to be reported to MIIT and may need retesting.
- Over-the-air upgrades. Before pushing a live agent upgrade, manufacturers must file a plan with MIIT covering timing, scale, users, scenarios, business model, data security and anti-fraud measures. Afterwards they must file a report, and the service can be offered formally only after MIIT has organised an expert assessment.
- App stores. Developers must declare, by electronic signature, whether they allow agents to call their apps. Without that consent, agents may not force a call. App stores must publish compatibility lists and must not offer agents for incompatible devices.
MIIT and the provincial communications administrations will carry out routine and special inspections. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology will help build a library of compatible agent versions and device models, together with a trusted agent identity system.
Who is affected
The notice falls mainly on handset, tablet and wearable makers selling into China, and on agent developers and app stores. China Sourcing Post suggests that export-only models that never seek a Chinese network-access licence are not automatically caught, but products sold in China are.
Why it matters financially
MIIT has published no cost estimate. But because a network-access licence is a precondition for selling connected devices in China, the new testing, identity codes and ministry review of upgrades turn AI agents into a regulated feature. That could lengthen launch and update cycles for any phone or wearable maker that wants to sell agent features in the Chinese market. App platforms also gain a consent-based gate on agent access to apps, which could change how agent-driven commerce is shared out.