Honlly

A senior official from China's top industry regulator called on Tuesday for deeper international cooperation on 5G cybersecurity. The comment comes as the nation has invested more than 260 billion yuan ($40.2 billion) to build the world's largest 5G network.

Liu Liehong, vice-minister of industry and information technology, spoke at the opening ceremony that over 718,000 5G base stations have been built in China, accounting for roughly 70 percent of the world's total.

"To better tap into the superfast wireless technology, more efforts are needed to build a fair and healthy (telecom) business environment and to beef up international cooperation on 5G security," Liu said. 

Sixty-one countries around the world had 144 commercial 5G networks as of January, and more than 400 operators in 131 countries are investing in 5G networks through tests, pilots and planned or actual deployments, reflecting the mounting enthusiasm for the wireless technology, according to the GSMA.

Frank Meng, chairman of the US tech giant Qualcomm Inc's China branch, said this year will see wider popularity for 5G. More smartphones will support 5G connectivity, and the superfast wireless technology will spawn more innovation in devices and empower a greater variety of sectors.

Hu Houkun, deputy chairman of Huawei Technologies Co, said it is crucial to scale up the use of 5G in businesses, and the company is working hard with partners to develop answers to specific industry needs.