5G technology expected to contribute $100 billion to Türkiye's economy by 2030

ISTANBUL

Türkiye's planned 5G frequency tender and the subsequent full coverage process are expected to bring a contribution of $100 billion to the Turkish economy and the potential for 1.5 million new jobs by 2030, Türkiye's deputy transport and infrastructure minister announced on Oct. 3.

"The parliament’s entry into the new legislative year with 5G technology is a concrete demonstration of our determination in our digital transformation journey," Ömer Fatih Sayan wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

He said that this pilot application, which began under the umbrella of the parliament, is a pioneer of the vision of high-speed connection aimed for the entire country.

The country is planning to fully implement 5G technology, ushering in transformative changes across multiple sectors as of next April.

Türkiye’s mobile journey began with 1G in 1991, followed by 2G in 1994, 3G in 2009, and 4.5G in 2016. Preparations for 5G started in 2019 and have now reached their final stage.

The minimum frequency values for the 5G rollout were officially published this August. The minimum frequency value for a total of 11 frequency packages was set at $2.1 billion.

The 5G tender announcement prepared by Türkiye’s Information and Communications Technologies Authority (BTK) was published on Aug. 31 following a presidential decree.

Test deployments of 5G have already been conducted in key locations, including the stadiums of Türkiye’s top four football clubs, IGA Istanbul Airport, TBMM and roughly 30 other facilities across the country.