Asian Tech Press (Dec 3) -- A U.S. federal appeals court on Thursday denied China Telecom's emergency bid to block an order by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revoking its authority to allow provide services in the country, Reuters reported.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied China Telecom (Americas) Corp's request to temporarily block the FCC order, which is set to take effect in early January next year, during which time a full review of its legal challenge is required.

China Telecom previously said it had until this Saturday to notify customers of the decision, saying that without a stay of the FCC action, it "will be forced to cease significant operations, irreparably harming its business, reputation, and relationships."

The court said it would issue a timeline to consider the legal arguments. But that could take several months.

China Telecom, which was not immediately available for comment on Thursday, was ordered by the FCC on Oct. 26 to stop its services in the United States by early January next year.