The telecom regulator today fixed February 14 to award fourth generation (4G) licences to the mobile operators.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) made the decision in a meeting today and invited application from the operators, said Sarwar Alam, secretary of the commission.

Before awarding the much discussed fastest data service licences, the BTRC will organise a spectrum auction on February 13, the official said.

The interested operators will have to submit their applications on January 14 to attend the auction.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the amended guideline of 4G services last week and the BTRC called the auction based on that guideline.

All the private mobile operators already have taken their preparation to launch the service on their network and have been taking other preparation including converting SIM cards.