November 9 -- China Telecom (0728.HK), the third-largest mobile operator in China, plans to launch wireless services to U.S. end users at the beginning of 2012, reports sina.com.cn, citing Donald Tan, president of China Telecom America.

The services will mainly target American Chinese, students and tourists who frequently travel between China and the U.S..

Tan said China Telecom will cooperate with a local network operator and that the charges will be competitive.

Should the company get a good response for its services, it may consider building its own wireless network in the U.S., added Tan.

Through the end of June, China Telecom had total assets of $9.6 billion yuan, including $4 billion in cash.

The plan to launch wireless services in the U.S. is pending the approval of the local government.

The U.S. federal government had previously forbidden Huawei, the largest maker of telecommunications equipment in China, from investing in its nationwide emergency network on national security concerns.

China Teleom currently has a total of 191 million registered users. At present, U.S. carriers such as Verizon and AT&T are customers of China Telecom’s fixed-line network services. Sprint Mextel had also connected its fixed-line phone network with that of China Telecom.