China's commercial 5G service era was launched this week in Beijing at an annual Postal and Telecom expo, drawing attention toward the technology's current development and future prospects. CGTN's Zheng Yibing interviewed Chris Houghton, senior vice president of Ericsson, on the sidelines of the event.

Houghton said that the 5G technology has taken off differently than the 4G, 3G, 2G technologies.

He believes that things have moved faster this time and there are huge interests and buzz around 5G, especially how the commercialization of 5G has launched in China.

"In the networks that we've launched, we've seen a very rapid take-up. People are really interested in 5G. So, I think 5G is very healthy. It has a great potential. And I think now over the next few years we're gonna see those potentials realized," he said.

While talking about the prospects of the technology, Houghton said that it will have a major impact on industrial production.

"There are tremendous possibilities across the industries. It's beyond the consumer play. Of course, it will have a big impact on consumers. They have faster speed, better devices and new features. But also, the difference with 5G is bringing the industry of internet," he said.

Houghton believes that 5G technology has a great potential in modernizing China's manufacturing and industrial base.