Turkey’s long-awaited 5G spectrum auction, organized by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), has officially concluded. The auction, held on October 16, 2025, covered 11 frequency packages across the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands. Major operators Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and Vodafone Türkiye shared the available spectrum through highly competitive bidding.
Total Bids Exceed 3.5 Billion Dollars
The 5G auction generated 3.534 billion USD in total bids including VAT, and 2.945 billion USD excluding VAT, surpassing initial expectations. The auction had started with a base price of approximately 2.1 billion USD.
Operators participated using a combination of sealed bids and open bidding methods. The 700 MHz band included A1, A2, and A3 packages, while the 3.5 GHz band consisted of B1 to B8 blocks.
Frequency Distribution Among Operators
Turkcell won the A1 package in the 700 MHz band with a 429 million USD bid and secured multiple 3.5 GHz blocks, bringing its total investment to around 1.22 billion USD.
Türk Telekom obtained the A3 package for 425 million USD and several 3.5 GHz blocks, with a total of approximately 1.09 billion USD in bids.
Vodafone Türkiye acquired the A2 package for 426 million USD and one 3.5 GHz block, reaching a total of 627 million USD.
The 3.5 GHz spectrum blocks were distributed evenly among the operators. Turkcell received the B1 block, Türk Telekom secured B2, and Vodafone Türkiye obtained B3.
5G Services To Launch in April 2026
According to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, operators will begin offering commercial 5G services starting April 1, 2026. The rollout will initially cover major metropolitan areas and gradually expand nationwide.
Additionally, the licenses for 2G and 3G networks were extended until the end of 2042. During this period, operators will be required to allocate 5 percent of their revenues to the BTK as part of the new regulatory framework.
A Milestone in Turkey’s Digital Transformation
Industry experts consider this auction a major milestone in Turkey’s digital transformation journey. The deployment of 5G is expected to enhance network capacity, boost data transfer speeds, and significantly reduce latency across the country.
Moreover, the transition to 5G will accelerate advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart city projects, marking a new era in Turkey’s connectivity landscape.
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