(Updates with details, quotes from the ministry statement)
ANKARA, May 15 (Reuters) - Turkey's tender for 4G telecomsfrequency bands has been postponed by three months to Aug. 26,officials said on Friday, weeks after President Tayyip Erdoganurged the country not to "lose time" with the technology and tomove straight to 5G.
The decision was announced by the transport andcommunications ministry. It said it required more time fortechnical and financial preparations and to evaluate bidderrequests for a change in conditions for the tender, withoutgiving further details.
Turkish telecommunications are currently based on 3Gtechnology. Last month, Erdogan called for a move tofifth-generation mobile networks, skipping 4G technology.
"Within two years Turkey will be on 5G. Otherwise, it willbe a garbage dump with 4G. Let's be patient and jump from 3G to5G. Can we do this? We definitely can," he said.
The president's comments were "meant to be instructions",Trade and Customs Minister Nurettin Canikli said a few daysafter, adding that the fate of the tender was being discussed.
Turkey currently has three mobile operators - Turkcell, the country's largest, Britain's Vodafone and third-ranking Avea, majority owned by fixed-line operatorTurk Telekom.
The communications technologies authority, the BTK, had seta May 26 deadline for the tender for 20 frequency bands at aminimum value of around 2.3 billion euros ($2.5 billion).Officials have previously said 4G services would be offered fromthe start of 2016. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editingby David Dolan and Pravin Char)