China Inbound Legal Guides · Internet & Telecom
China legal decision desk
ICP, VATS &
Telecom Licensing
China internet regulation begins with the service function: filing, commercial ICP, a specific VATS catalogue item, cloud infrastructure, or app and domain administration. This hub routes the licence question without treating every online service as the same permit.
gates mapped before the next move
ICP, VATS & TELECOM LICENSING
ICP FILING & COMMERCIAL ICP · VATS CATALOGUE LICENCES · CLOUD, IDC & CDN · APPS, DOMAINS & LAUNCH FILINGS
Treat a launch date as a planning input, not proof that a filing or licence can be accelerated.
Decision desk / 01
Where is the
pressure point?
Matter statusCLASSIFY FIRSTConfirm the current route
ICP filing & commercial ICP
Identify the China-hosted site, operator and revenue model before calling the requirement an ICP licence.
Open routeVATS catalogue licences
Map each supplied function to the current telecom business catalogue before testing ownership or licence scope.
Open routeCloud, IDC & CDN
Draw the service, infrastructure, entity and data flows before selecting a licence or partner model.
Open routeApps, domains & launch filings
Inventory the app, domain, host, operator and content functions before opening separate filing workstreams.
Open routeSituation-based routes
Start where
the matter is.
4 bounded routes turn a broad concern into the next useful question.
ICP filing & commercial ICP
Website filing, commercial internet-information services and the boundary between filing and an operating licence.
Open route 02VATSVATS catalogue licences
IDC, CDN, EDI, online data processing and other value-added telecom catalogue items.
Open route 03CloudCloud, IDC & CDN
Cloud architecture, IDC and CDN licensing, infrastructure roles and foreign-provider operating routes.
Open route 04LaunchApps, domains & launch filings
App filing, domain registration and launch dependencies that sit beside telecom and content licensing.
Open routeDecision shortcuts
Already know
the issue?
Jump to the narrow question changing your next move.
Quick answers
Orient first.
Then go deeper.
Short explainers for recurring questions beneath this practice route.
Editorial & legal review
Research with
professional boundaries.
Route logic and substantive content require review when current rules change.
No lawyer is presented as the legal reviewer until an appropriately qualified specialist is assigned.
This hub routes research; it does not provide legal advice or promise regulatory clearance.
Editorial policyCounsel hand-off
Need technology and telecom counsel?
This hub organises filing, catalogue and operating-route questions. It does not determine licence scope or foreign-investment access on your facts.