Hong Kong’s director general of communications Eliza Lee Man-Ching vowed to put the territory at the forefront of 5G following a swift spectrum allocation process, South China Morning Post reported.

In the interview, Man-Ching said Hong Kong would be in the “fast lane” for 5G services and bands would be allocated as soon as the International Telecommunications Union had finalised its universal 5G spectrum specifications.

She added launching 5G hastily would be of no benefit to operators or consumers.

Comments follow criticism from HKT, Hong Kong’s largest operator, on the Government’s policy for spectrum allocation.

The company has raised frequent questions on the issue and warned in December the territory risks “becoming a third-class citizen in mobile service development” by delaying 5G.

In March, the Communications Authority announced it would open up spectrum in the 26GHz and 28GHz bands in 2019 and in the 3.4GHz to 3.7GHz band in 2020. It also plans a public consultation in the second half of 2017 on vacating spectrum currently used by satellite services.

Following the release if its timetable, HKT said the Government was moving in the right direction, but reiterated concerns the process was not moving quickly enough.