The 5G spectrum auction in Turkey concluded on Thursday, with a total bid amount of $2.95 billion. Major operators in the country, including Turkey Telecom (Turkcell), Vodafone (Vodafone Group PLC), and Türk Telekom, successfully acquired critical spectrum blocks in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands.

Turkey Telecom (Turkcell) secured the highest bid of $429 million for the 700 MHz A1 package and won four spectrum blocks in the 3.5 GHz band, bringing its total bidding amount to $1.22 billion.

Türk Telekom won the 700 MHz A3 package with a bid of $425 million and acquired two blocks in the 3.5 GHz band, totaling $1.1 billion.

Vodafone (Vodafone Group PLC) achieved a bid of $426 million for the 700 MHz A2 package and won one spectrum block in the 3.5 GHz band, resulting in a total bid amount of $627 million.

5G services in Turkey are expected to launch in April next year, initially covering major cities.

The auction not only allocated 5G frequencies but also extended the usage rights for previous generations of networks (2G, 3G, etc.) until the end of 2042.

All three companies participated in the 5G spectrum bidding, with a starting price for all packages set at $2.13 billion (excluding VAT).

The auction's frequency blocks were divided into two parts: three blocks in the 700 MHz band and eight blocks in the 3.5 GHz band.

Before the auction, operators did not disclose estimates for network investment amounts, but analysts anticipate they will initiate a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar network upgrade plan to transition to 5G networks.

The last mobile frequency auction in Turkey took place in 2015, prior to this 5G auction. At that time, the three operators paid €4 billion (approximately $4.66 billion, including VAT) for 15-year usage rights for the 4.5G band.

Additionally, Thursday's auction extended the licenses for 2G and 3G services, originally set to expire in 2029, until the end of 2042. In the future, companies must contribute 5% of their annual sales from these services to the Turkish treasury.

Turkey's Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, stated on Wednesday that the first 5G signal will be launched on April 1 next year and will gradually expand from densely populated cities to the rest of the country. He noted that nationwide coverage for the 5G network may take just over a year to achieve.