Citycell, which has been out of service since October last year, is trying to reenter the telecommunication business as the now defunct mobile phone operator is aiming to get 4G licence.

Officials of Citycell yesterday attended a pre-bid meeting with Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on spectrum auction. The auction will take place in February.

The regulator is likely to allow Citycell to apply for the fourth-generation technology licence and participate in the auction as no other new entities have shown interest to invest in this market.

During the meeting at the BTRC office in Dhaka, Citycell wanted to know whether it can obtain 4G licence and take part in the spectrum auction, said a top official of the regulator who attended the meeting.

"Citycell has the licence and as we are yet to get any response from any new interested party, the commission may give them another chance," said the official who deals with 4G issue.

However, Citycell will have to comply with the guideline to acquire the licence, he said. The pre-bid meeting with the mobile phone operators was held for the auction in three spectrum bands: 2100 megahertz, 1800 MHz and 900 MHz.

Citycell's senior executives who attended the meeting said they are taking preparation in line with the instruction from the senior management.

"A dialogue has begun with the interested investors and we are working on it," said one executive. "That is why we need a confirmation from the regulator about our eligibility."

Tipu Sultan, head of communication of Citycell, said if allowed, the company would obviously apply for the 4G licence and participate in the spectrum auction.

"We are interested to get the licence. That's why we have participated at the pre-bid meeting," he said.

Sultan said the BTRC told them that it would issue a clarification as soon as possible.

Earlier BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said a couple of foreign operators have shown interest to make foray into telecom business in Bangladesh and contacted the commission.

However, none other than the existing operators participated at the meeting. Top executives of Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk took part.

"Still there is chance for new entities to come and apply. The new entity may use Citycell's banner," said a BTRC official.

Md Jahurul Haque, acting chairman of the BTRC, presided over the meeting where BTRC commissioners Md Rezaul Quader and Md Aminul Hassan were present.

During the meeting, the mobile operators also raised a number of issues, including technology neutrality of spectrum, exact time of issuance of licence for 4G operations and further specification about roll-out obligation.

The BTRC officials said the issue of technology neutrality has already been separated from the spectrum auction guidelines. Fresh guidelines on the issue would be issued soon.

The telecom regulator has announced the deadline for the spectrum auction, not the specific date for 4G licence issuance. The mobile operators sought clarity about it.

In reply, the BTRC said the licence and spectrum bandwidth would be given simultaneously for smooth launching of the much-talked-about 4G service.

According to the 4G guideline, the spectrum auction will be held on February 14 and the next day the regulator will notify the names of the winners. The last date for applying both for the spectrum and the licence is January 14.

According to the guideline, operators will have to deploy 4G network across the country within 36 months.