TP-Link Taps Key Tronic to Build Routers in Mississippi
The networking giant needs FCC approval to resume US sales after a March import ban targeting foreign-made hardware.
TP-Link signed a letter of intent with contract manufacturer Key Tronic to assemble Wi-Fi 8 routers at a Mississippi facility, according to the company. Production could begin in early 2027 if regulators approve the arrangement.
The agreement follows a March decision by the Federal Communications Commission that designated all foreign-made consumer routers as a national security risk and banned their import into the United States. Retailers were permitted to clear existing inventory from shelves, but no new imported units can enter the domestic market.
That ban effectively locked TP-Link out of its primary sales pipeline. The FCC built a narrow escape hatch into its order: companies willing to relocate manufacturing operations stateside can apply for a waiver. Several competitors have already secured those waivers. TP-Link is not currently among them.
Key Tronic, headquartered in Spokane Valley, Washington, operates electronics manufacturing services across North America. The Mississippi line would represent a direct response to the FCC’s domestic production requirement rather than a routine expansion.
Full vertical integration remains off the table. The printed circuit boards, chipsets, and radio modules required for next-generation networking hardware are overwhelmingly fabricated in East Asia. No American supplier chain currently exists for these specific components at commercial scale.
“Many [components] are just not available from a domestic source, and this is not a TP-Link issue,” Steve Kovsky, TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer, told PC Mag. “This is an issue for all manufacturers that are trying to onshore manufacturing.”
The distinction between final assembly and component fabrication has defined the FCC’s enforcement posture since March. Waivers granted so far require verifiable domestic assembly milestones, though the commission has not publicly detailed the exact percentage of localized content required to satisfy the security mandate.
Wi-Fi 8 routers will be among the first products rolling off the Key Tronic line once it becomes operational. The standard, formally known as IEEE 802.11bn, focuses on ultra-high reliability for dense device environments rather than raw speed increases over Wi-Fi 7.
