TP-Link has signed a letter of intent with U.S. electronics manufacturer Key Tronic to assemble its Wi-Fi 8 routers in Corinth, Mississippi. The companies announced the deal on Monday, Oct. 19, and TP-Link said assembly could begin as early as next year, pending U.S. regulatory approval.

The deal comes after the Federal Communications Commission banned imports of new consumer routers made outside the U.S. in March. TP-Link is not among the companies granted exemptions.

Under the letter of intent, Key Tronic would become a primary domestic manufacturing partner for TP-Link, with Wi-Fi 8 home networking products expected to be among the first off the Corinth line. A letter of intent is a plan, not a final contract. Components will still come from outside the U.S.

"Many [components] are just not available from a domestic source, and this is not a TP-Link issue," TP-Link corporate affairs officer Steve Kovsky told PCMag .…