Turkey is set to take a major step forward in digital infrastructure development with the announcement of a national tender for 5G frequency bands, scheduled to take place on October 16, 2025.
The move, unveiled Sunday by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, marks the beginning of the country’s transition to next-generation mobile networks, with commercial service expected to begin in April 2026.
In a public statement, Minister Uraloğlu confirmed that the tender will be open to all licensed operators currently offering GSM and advanced 4.5G services in the Turkish market. This includes state-backed operator Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and Vodafone Turkey, the local unit of the British telecoms group.
The tender will allocate a total of 11 frequency packages across two key bands, 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz, with a combined bandwidth of 400 MHz. The total value of the frequency packages is expected to exceed 2.125 billion US dollars, with official technical specifications already published in the country’s official gazette.
The announcement comes as Turkey prepares for the end of current mobile network licenses, which are set to expire in 2029.
Under the new licensing framework, winning operators will be required to pay 5% of their annual revenues to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), in addition to the tender costs. The new licenses will remain valid until December 31, 2044.
The transition to 5G is expected to significantly enhance mobile connectivity, boost data speeds, and enable a wide range of new technologies such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and industrial automation. It also aligns with Turkey’s national strategy to position itself as a regional digital hub and attract international investment in its telecom sector.
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