Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm urged US President Donald Trump (pictured) to address hurdles to 5G deployments in the country, as the latter publicly touted deployment progress.

Ekholm addressed the president during a dinner attended by more than 20 top global CEOs from companies including Nokia, SoftBank, Rakuten and Sony. In his speech, the Ericsson chief pressed Trump to take rapid action to make C-Band spectrum (3.7GHz-4.2GHz) available to operators, deeming it “critical” for 5G deployments.

He also called on the US to reduce obstacles related to site permits and invest in upgrades to the power grid to support expanding network infrastructure.

Fox Business posted video of the dinner online.

“What I would wish for is that the United States leads the development of 5G,” Ekholm said, noting the country is Ericsson’s largest market.

Trump responded by highlighting government action to slash deployment timelines and free up new spectrum.

The president argued the US was in “very good shape” in terms of development: “I think we’re far advanced, much further than people understand.”

He offered praise for both Ericsson and Nokia, saying the companies have done a “great job” advancing 5G.