Türkiye will launch a long-awaited 5G frequency tender on October 16, and mobile operators will start providing 5G services in April 2026, the transport and infrastructure minister said on Sunday.
Mobile operators currently holding GSM and 4.5G licenses can participate, Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a statement, meaning government-controlled Turkcell and Turk Telekom along with Vodafone's Turkish unit can all take part.
"We will hold the 5G tender on Oct. 16 and our mobile operators will start offering 5G services as of April 1, 2026," he said.
"A total of 11 different frequency packages will be allocated to operators through the tender, which will be held at a minimum value of $2.125 billion for a total of 400 MHz of frequency in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands," Uraloglu said.
The tender specifications have been published on the Official Gazette, Uraloglu said.
Existing mobile network licenses will expire in 2029, and operators' infrastructure and services will be subject to a new authorization regime to be offered under a new tender, he added.
"From this date (2029) on, our operators will be obligated to pay 5% of their annual revenues to Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). The authorization period will be valid until 31 December 2042," he said.
