Foreign telecom companies applauded China's announcement to soon issue commercial 5G licenses and the country's commitment to international cooperation, saying that the move will accelerate the application and development of fifth-generation wireless technology in the country.

"This is great news that 5G commercial rollout will start soon in China, and the cooperation with multi-national companies is highly recognized by the Chinese government, which makes us more confident in the healthy, steady and sustainable development of China's 5G industry," Markus Borchert, president of Nokia China, said.

The comments came after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it will soon issue commercial licenses for 5G, as the country has established an edge in the superfast wireless technology via both homegrown innovation and international cooperation.

According to Borchert, the company will fully support local operators' network deployment with its advanced solutions and fully leverage its advantages in Sino-EU innovation cooperation, its leadership in the international standardization organizations, and its experience serving customers around the world to assist China's active engagement in the global 5G ecosystem.

"For the past 40 years since Nokia started operation in China, we've always been a trustworthy and strategic global partner of China's information communication technology industry," Borchert said.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a string of foreign companies, including Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Intel, have participated in three phases of technical tests organized by China to get their 5G products and solutions ready for commercial use in the country.

On Monday, the Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson also said in a statement to China Daily that it maintains a long-term friendship with China's telecom carriers and it is ready to partner with local companies to promote 5G deployment.

"Issuing 5G licenses is conducive to promoting the positive development of China's 5G market and lays a good foundation for 5G applications," Ericsson said, adding that the move also will promote efforts to explore 5G business models.

Ericsson added that it aims to bring innovative technology and quality services to the Chinese market and to promote the development of 5G in the country.

Lv Tingjie, a professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said China welcomes competition in 5G rollout, for it knows well that competition from foreign companies helps lower costs.

"That contrasts the attitude of the US government, which banned Chinese company Huawei from its 5G network deployment," Lv said.

Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, or Global System for Mobile Communications Association, which represents the interests of more than 750 mobile operators worldwide, said in March that "China's mobile industry has been a key driver of economic growth, inclusion and modernization."