Shares of Chinese telecommunications companies were suspended from trading in Hong Kong, the stock exchange said on Friday, without providing the reason for the halt.

The exchange said shares of China Telecom Corp., the mainland's biggest fixed line phone company, and China Netcom Group Corp. (Hong Kong) have been placed in

a trading halt, along with China Unicom Ltd., the nation's second-largest mobile

phone company.

The suspension followed reports that a much-awaited restructuring of the telecommunications industry will soon be implemented.

Beijing may announce changes in top posts at its four main telecom operators Friday, which may signal the start of a revamp of the industry, according to mainland media reports.

According to the reports, China Mobile Chairman and President Wang Jianzhou will keep his posts while Zhang Chunjiang, general manager of China Netcom, will

be appointed vice president of China Mobile.

China Mobile is the bigger of the two mobile phone operators in China.

A separate report that China Unicom, the other mobile phone company in the mainland, would raise its fees also drove the stocks higher before trading was suspended, said Peter Lai, director at DBS Vickers.

'Some fund managers are buying into telecom stocks because of these reports,' said Lai.

Shares in China Unicom last traded up 11.9 percent at HK$18.48 and China Telecom was up 7 percent at HK$5.67. China Netcom jumped 12.5 percent to HK$27.05.

China Mobile shares, trading of which was not suspended, retreated 2.5 percent to HK$126.90.