Türkiye says to hold 5G tender in October, eyes 2026 rollout

Türkiye plans to finalize the specifications for its long-awaited 5G frequency tender by the end of this month and hold the auction in October, with initial service expected to be available in 2026, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Tuesday.

Uraloğlu's remarks came days after the government published the list of frequencies to be allocated for usage rights in the 5G tender, with the minimum price for the available frequency packages set at $2.13 billion.

"We aim to publish the tender specifications this month and hold the tender in October. Our goal is to expand 5G across the entire country within a few years after the initial signal is received in 2026," Uraloğlu said in a statement.

He noted that the ministry had held extensive consultations and examined international practices, particularly in Europe, to design the auction framework.

"We are preparing the tender specifications in a way that both serves the public interest and does not hinder operators' investment capabilities or reflexes," he said.

According to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, the tender will include 11 frequency packages across the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands, with individual package values ranging from $50 million to $425 million.

All three operators – government-controlled Türk Telekom and Turkcell along with Vodafone's Turkish unit – are expected to take part in the tender.

The tender will also see the government roll over existing mobile network licenses, which are currently set to expire in 2029. Operators will be required to pay 5% of their yearly revenues to roll over the licenses.

The operators have long been preparing for the transition.

Last week, Türk Telekom said it is fully prepared for the 5G tender and rollout, citing its robust fiber infrastructure and strategic investments.

Its CEO Ümit Önal said 54% of the company's long-term evolution (LTE) base stations are already connected via fiber.

Türk Telekom owns and maintains nearly 80% of Türkiye's national fiber network through a concession agreement that is set to expire in 2026. Önal said the company is nearing the renewal of the deal.

Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koç said the company has completed financial planning for the rollout. "A large part of our network has been modernized for the transition to 5G and the fiberization rate of our base stations has been rapidly increasing," he said.

"We have also finalized our financial planning to integrate new base stations into our network," he added.

DailySabah