Algerian Minister of Post and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Imane Houda Feraoun said Tuesday the country is set to launch 4G service in 2016.

"The official launch of 4G is scheduled for the first half of 2016," Feraoun told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony of launching a postmark stamp "40 years of Space Communications."

As for the delay in terms of allowing the use of geographical satellite location service (GPS), the minister said "the project is still under examination at an advanced level," without however providing further information on when the service would be launched.

Currently, the 3G service is offered by three operators activating in Algeria, namely the state-run Mobilis (a subsidiary of Algerie Telecom), Ooredoo, and Djezzy.

There are more than 38 million mobile phone subscribers in this North African nation, according to figures.