Turkcell expects 4G system online by 2016

Güneş Kömürcüler ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

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Turkcell CEO Süreyya Ciliv has said he expects 4G technologies in mobile communication to be fully active just after 2015.

“There is no exact date about when the 4G technologies infrastructure will be fully operational in Turkey, but we expect this will happen by the beginning of 2016. The Information and Communications Technologies Authority of Turkey (BTK) and the Ministry of Transport and Communication will set the exact date. We, as Turkcell, have already started our preparations to offer the best technologies by that time,” Ciliv said, speaking at a press meeting held by the company yesterday to show the results of their 4G laboratory tests.

The company began launching speed tests for 4G through a limited long-term evolution (LTE) network in Istanbul in 2012. Ciliv noted that Turkcell had reached very high speeds in 4G tests in their laboratory, and planned to launch its local mobile device, called “Gebze,” at the end of this year.

Vodafone Turkey also previously announced that it had reached very high speeds in its own 4G tests by July 10, adding that it had invested over 4.5 billion Turkish Liras in 3G technologies over the last four years.

Minister of Transport and Communications Binali Yıldırım said in February that the government foresaw the launch of local mobile devices before making the 4G infrastructure fully operational in Turkey.

While 3G technology is a relatively new development in Turkey, having only been introduced in 2008, it has expanded very quickly. There were around 40.3 million 3G subscribers in Turkey at the end of 2012, around 60 percent of total mobile users, according to a report prepared by the BTK. This is much higher than the European average of around 30 percent.

The same trend is expected for 4G technologies as well. The 4G network, with its increased speed, is expected to bring better service to smartphone users in Turkey, who are increasingly using their handsets for internet access.