Turkey to hold 5G tender on October 16, minister says: AA

Turkey to hold 5G tender on October 16, minister says: AA

Turkey is set to launch its long-awaited 5G frequency tender on October 16, with mobile operators expected to start providing 5G services by April 2026. This announcement was made by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu [1].

The tender, which will allocate a total of 400 MHz of frequency in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands, is valued at a minimum of $2.125 billion. Eleven different frequency packages will be distributed to operators, who can participate if they currently hold GSM and 4.5G licenses [1].

Operators will be required to pay for their spectrum in three equal installments, with the tender documentation priced at ₺1 million ($24,308). The new licenses will remain valid until December 31, 2042, and operators will be obligated to pay 5% of their annual revenues to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) starting from April 30, 2029 [2].

The tender 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 [1]. The specifications for the tender have been published in the Official Gazette [1]. Operators may submit their offers starting October 9, with the final deadline set for October 16 at 09:30 a.m. local time (GMT+3). The auction itself will begin the same day at 10:30 a.m. at BTK’s headquarters in Ankara [2].

Minister Uraloglu emphasized that 5G will deliver major improvements in connectivity, promising at least a tenfold increase in mobile internet speed. The technology will also enable machine-to-machine communication, potentially transforming industrial production processes [2].

To strengthen the domestic industry, the government is introducing mandatory thresholds for local technology use. At least 60% of products used in the 5G infrastructure must be locally produced, while 30% must qualify as nationally developed communication products [2].

By the end of 2025, infrastructure preparations and licensing arrangements are expected to be finalized to ensure that services can launch in 2026 [2].

References:
[1] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L8N3UN016:0-turkey-to-hold-5g-tender-on-october-16-service-to-be-available-in-april-2026-minister-says/
[2] https://www.turkiyetoday.com/business/turkiye-to-hold-5g-spectrum-auction-in-october-services-to-begin-in-april-2026-3206206