Canadian telecom companies are looking for regulatory clarity from the federal government as they prepare to unveil the next generation of wireless technology, the chief technology officer for Telus said Monday.

Ibrahim Gedeon told the annual Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto that device and network equipment manufacturers are pushing to get their products ready for fifth-generation wireless networks by 2020.

He says the problem for Canada is that the federal ministry that allocates spectrum hasn't revealed when it will hold an auction for the 3,500 megahertz band of spectrum, also known as 3.5 gigahertz.

Gedeon says Telus and Canada's other major wireless network operators have been pushing for Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains to commit to having the 3,500 MHz auction by next year.

The Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development has said previously that it will lay out its road map for the next spectrum auction this summer.

Gedeon says he hopes that Bains addresses the issue when he speaks at the telecom conference on Wednesday afternoon.