Türkiye received its first signal from a domestically produced 5G portable private network, an official said on Monday, in a breakthrough that marked a significant step in the country's ambition to establish a fully independent 5G infrastructure.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu last week said Türkiye would hold a 5G auction next year, with the first signal expected in January 2026.
ULAK, Türkiye’s first indigenous telecom equipment manufacturer, has rapidly advanced its 5G infrastructure in preparation for the nationwide rollout. The company has innovated by making its existing 4.5G base stations portable, expanding their coverage and enhancing digital connectivity across the country.
At a 6G conference in Istanbul, ULAK demonstrated the capabilities of its 5G private network, which is composed of locally developed 5G radios, base stations and core network components.
The private 5G network is expected to unlock a new era of ultrafast data speeds and robust system capacity, catering to both industrial enterprises and telecommunications operators.
During the conference, ULAK successfully transmitted the first 5G signal from the portable network, showcasing its high-speed data capacity and low latency, features that will be critical to the success of future communication systems.
"Our tests, conducted both outdoors and indoors, have yielded exceptional speed results," an official from ULAK stated. "We are also accelerating development efforts on the most challenging aspects of 5G radio technology, which will be the backbone of wireless communications systems in the future."
The demonstration showed the potential of ULAK’s 5G network to handle massive data flows, a key feature for industries ranging from manufacturing to health care, where low-latency and high-speed communication are essential.
ULAK General Manager Ruşen Kömürcü highlighted the significance of the achievement, noting the successful execution of the first closed-circuit 5G demonstration.
"With special authorization from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, we broadcast on the 3.5 GHz frequency, showcasing ULAK’s fully domestic 5G private network," Kömürcü said.
The revealed the network’s speed of 1.4 gigabytes per second. Kömürcü emphasized that the 5G network will deliver speeds up to 50 times faster than the current 4.5G technology in use.
ULAK's development of indigenous technology reflects Türkiye’s broader ambition to establish a self-reliant telecommunications sector, reducing dependency on foreign tech providers.
Kömürcü emphasized that ULAK currently operates approximately 3,000 4.5G base stations across the country and is preparing to roll out 5G technology following the official auction. "Our locally produced 5G technology will be ready when the time comes," he added.
"The software, base stations and hardware here are produced nationally. From this point of view, we can say that the end-to-end 5G project has been completed."