DHAKA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Monday formally entered 4G era as the country's telecom regulator issued licences to four operators, paving the way for launching the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications services.

The licences were formally handed over at a ceremony in capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood handed over license to four operators - Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk.

The BTRC held an auction for frequency allocation on Feb. 13.

The country's largest cell phone operator Grameenphone, and the third largest telecom operator Banglalink acquired new frequencies while second largest operator Robi and Teletalk did not participate in the auction and will use the existing frequencies to offer 4G services.

Operators said they are ready to launch 4G services as soon as possible in Bangladesh where the total number of mobile phone subscribers reached 145.114 million at the end of last year.

Experts said the launch of 4G services could further bolster the government's efforts in minimizing the "digital divide" in Bangladesh, which is poorly served by broadband Internet services.

Officials said Bangladesh mobile users will now have access to high-speed 4G Internet through their mobile phones at a relatively lower rate.

Bangladesh in October 2012 officially entered the third generation of wireless communications. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the long-awaited 3G services via a state-run cellphone operator Teletalk.