Avea

Advanced 4G technologies, dubbed 4.5G technologies, were set to come online in Turkey in the early hours of April 1 after months of preparation, according to the country's communications minister. Mobile internet speed is expected to accelerate by 10 times with the launch of the new technologies. 

You have seen it on the news, you have watched the commercials: Türk Telekom has merged into one entity by merging with Avea and TTNET, becoming the biggest telecommunications company in Turkey. 

Türk Telekom has merged all of its products and services offered by Avea, TTNET and Türk Telekom under the single Türk Telekom brand, in line with global trends and the needs of its customers.

Turkcell has announced an acceleration of its efforts to establish 4.5G base stations amid a looming April 1 deadline to adopt the new technology in a press release on Jan. 6.

The company said it will launch 4.5G with speeds of up to 375 Mbps aggregating three carriers. By 2017, Turkcell will reach a speed of 1000 Mbps, according to the press release. 

Türk Telekom's Argela has applied for 10 patents for 5G technologies in the United States, said the company in a press release on Nov. 20. 

A total of 2 billion euros has been paid to the Treasury by the telecommunication companies which won a tender for the launch of advanced 4.5G technologies in Turkey.

Türk Telekom Group has allocated two thirds of its investments, which by the end of this year will be approximately 20 billion Turkish Liras ($6.7 billion) since 2005, to infrastructure and fiber, CEO Rami Aslan said on Sept. 2.

Some 30,000 new base stations need to be built in Turkey to adapt to the advanced 4G technologies, but it is a big unknown which authority will give the permission.

Vodafone Turkey wants to pay the tender price of 778 million euros it offered in a recent deal for advanced 4G technologies in cash this year, CEO Gökhan Ö?üt said on Aug. 28 as reported by Reuters. 

Turkey?s three existing mobile operators, Turkcell, Vodafone and Avea, have won the rights to the country?s advanced 4G network due to be established for a sum of more than 1.14 billion euros, in the Aug. 26 tender held by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority.

Another bidder, Netgsm, declined to make an offer.