Fifth generation (5G) mobile technology will be rolled out by the state-owned mobile operator Teletalk in the country before any other telecom operators, Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar said today.

"We want to establish Teletalk as the number one mobile operator in the country that's why we will launch the 5G mobile data service through it," said Jabbar, before distributing prizes at Teletalk Inter-Divisional Cricket Tournament-2019 on Dhaka University campus.

The government has targets to offer 5G service in the country by 2021 and has started preparations regarding the rollout.

Earlier, in August 2012, the government allowed Teletalk to offer 3G services, more than a year prior to the private operators which leveraged the state-run operator to grab huge business in the market.

However, Teletalk did not get the same privilege when the 4G service was rolled out in February last year; all the four other operators got 4G licenses that time.

The state-owned operator launched 4G service some selective parts of the country only in the middle of December last year and very few customers are now using that services.

The minister said Teletalk will have to face lots of challenges in the coming days of technological enhancement and it needs to ensure growth overcoming those challenges.

He also urged the management of Teletalk to increase its service quality to satisfy the customers.