Trump's national security team is considering nationalizing a super-fast 5G network

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Donald Trump listens to his mobile phone during a lunch stop in South Carolina.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's national security team is looking at options to counter China that include the U.S. government building a super-fast 5G wireless network, a senior administration official said on Sunday.

The official, confirming the gist of a report from Axios.com, said the option was being debated at a low level in the administration and was six to eight months away from being considered by the president himself.

"We want to build a secure 5G network and we have to work with industry to figure out the best way to do it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Documents obtained by Axios laid out options for Trump's team to consider. The most realistic option, according to Axios sources, is one in which the government pays for and builds the single 5G network. The move would amount to an "unprecedented" nationalization of a part of the economy that is mostly run by private providers, the report said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)