The 5G tender, which will usher in a new era in the field of communication and telecommunications, has been completed. 3 operators submitted bids for the allocation of 11 frequency bands.
The Authorization Tender for Mobile Electronic Communication Services and Infrastructures (5G Tender) was completed under the auspices of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority. Representatives of Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., TTMobil İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., and Vodafone Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. submitted bids to acquire the most suitable ones from 11 different frequency packages according to their own strategies.
In statements after the tender, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan described the 5G tender process as “the embodiment in flesh and blood of the common vision of Turkish engineers, Turkish industry, and Turkish state intellect.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: 5G Has Become a Historic Step
Emphasizing that Turkey is no longer a country waiting on the threshold of the digital age but one initiating that age with its own hands, Sayan stated, “The completed 5G Authorization Tender is not merely a frequency sharing; it has become a historic step that strengthens our country's digital sovereignty, economic independence, and national power. 5G is no longer just a technology; it is a historic turning point representing the victory of domestic intellect, domestic production, and domestic will in the information age, solidifying Turkey's place in the high-tech classification. The high speed, low latency, wide connectivity capacity, and energy efficiency offered by 5G will carry not only our infrastructure but also our country's production power, industry, science, and strategic capacity much further.”
Recalling that he was the President of BTK during the 4.5G period, Sayan said, “I remember that day as if it were yesterday. Today, I am experiencing indescribable pride as I take the next step in the same journey as Deputy Minister. This tender is not just the certification of a technical process, but of the efforts, patience, and vision of those who believe in this country. Participating in this journey is more than a duty for me; it is one of the greatest prides of my life,” highlighting the importance of the tender.
Deputy Minister Sayan: 5G Will Start Being Used as of April 1, 2026
Sharing information about the tender process, Sayan said, “With the decision published in the Official Gazette on August 16, 2025, we opened a total of 400 MHz frequency band in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands for use by our operators. A total of 11 separate frequency packages in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands were offered in the tender. The total minimum value of the tender was set at 2 billion 125 million US Dollars.”
Regarding what will happen as a result of the 5G authorization, Sayan said, “As of April 1, 2026, 5G service will start nationwide. Our citizens will benefit from the blessings of 5G technology without any changes to their existing tariffs. Our operators will allocate 5% of their revenues each year to infrastructure investments between 2029-2042. The winners of the tender will be authorized until December 31, 2042. All these outcomes are the most concrete indicators of how Turkey's digital capacity is multiplying day by day,” reiterating the emphasis on domestic and national production.
Sayan stated, “At this point, we have once again reinforced our red line principle of domestic and national production. We are increasing the domestic product usage rate, which was 45% during the 4.5G period, to 60% in the 5G period. When we set our rate at 45%, the localization rate exceeded 52%. We didn't stop there; depending on product availability, we have made it mandatory to use products whose all rights belong to domestic and national companies at a minimum of 30%, starting with 15% in the first stage. In other words, our operators are now obliged to prefer solutions whose rights belong to Turkish engineers and Turkish companies. Now, the Turkish engineer is building this country's digital future with his own design, his own production, and his own codes.”
President Karagözoğlu: A Strategic Turning Point for Turkey
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also evaluated the 5G tender process. Emphasizing that Turkey's entry into the 5G era is not just a technological transition but also a strategic turning point for Turkey, Karagözoğlu said, "The electronic communications sector will become the foundational infrastructure for machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, autonomous systems, and robot technologies. Thanks to 5G, machine-to-machine communication and Internet of Things applications will become more effective than ever. The impacts of 5G will not be limited to the communication field alone. Great digital transformations will occur in areas such as energy efficiency, prevention of environmental pollution, optimization of water and land use; in sectors like agriculture, transportation, health, urban planning, media, and entertainment, paving the way for innovative solutions."
President Karagözoğlu: We Will Meet 5G's Hardware and Software Needs Domestically and Nationally
Touching on the issue of domestic and national aspects in the electronic communications sector, Karagözoğlu said, "14 companies that are members of the Communications Technologies Cluster (HTK) and our 3 mobile operators worked on the 'End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communications Network Project.' We developed this project to meet 5G's hardware and software needs with domestic and national capabilities. With the work done, the localization rate in 4.5G networks exceeded the targeted 45% and reached 52%. With the new tender, we aim to raise this rate to 60%. In addition, if suitable products are available, we condition that 30% of the hardware used in the networks consists of completely national products, i.e., products whose intellectual and property rights belong to Turkey."
3 Operators Paid a Total of 2 Billion 945 Million Dollars in the 5G Tender
In the tender, closed bid and subsequently open bid methods were applied in accordance with the Tender Regulation on Authorization in the Electronic Communications Sector.
According to the tender results, Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. acquired a total of 5 frequency packages: A1, B1, B4, B5, and B6 for 1 billion 224 million US Dollars; Türk Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. won 4 licenses for A3, B2, B7, and B8 packages for 1 billion 94 million US Dollars. Vodafone Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. acquired 2 frequency rights including A2 and B3 packages with a bid of 627 million US Dollars. Thus, a total of 11 frequency packages were sold for 2 billion 945 million US Dollars. The total amount of the tender including VAT reached 3 billion 534 million US Dollars.