Chinese humanoid robotics company UBTECH has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tianyi Telecom Terminal, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Telecom, to explore how robots can reach consumers and businesses through the telecom operator’s distribution network.
Announced on November 9, 2026, the agreement covers joint product development, retail distribution, rentals, service packages and applications for household and commercial robots. The companies also unveiled a joint innovation laboratory to work on product customization, application testing and technical standards.
The partnership includes ambitious three-year targets. UBTECH and Tianyi say they aim to help the broader household companion robot terminal industry exceed one million units, while the segment covering ultra-bionic humanoids, wheeled humanoids and related terminals would surpass 100,000 units. These are proposed industry-scale goals, not confirmed purchase orders, shipments or sales commitments to UBTECH.
Tianyi operates within China Telecom’s terminal and consumer-device ecosystem. The companies plan to use telecom stores for demonstrations and trials, while exploring bundled AI services and robot rentals. Their technical work is expected to combine UBTECH’s robotic hardware and software with telecom cloud infrastructure, AI models, connectivity and security capabilities.
UBTECH has primarily drawn attention for industrial humanoids, including its Walker series. This agreement adds a potential route to household and commercial users, although the partners have not disclosed binding sales volumes, specific launch dates for new products or financial terms.
The companies also referenced UBTECH’s smart manufacturing facility, which they say entered operation during the second half of 2026 and is designed for production at a 10,000-unit scale.
