Turkcell has hit speeds of 24.7GBps by tapping into 15GHz spectrum in a 5G trial with Ericsson.
Taking place today (17 January) at Turkcell’s Kucukyali Plaza building in Istanbul, the test was the first of its kind in Turkey.
In a statement, Turkcell cited the network slicing feature of 5G as a key benefit, allowing capacity and speed to be adjusted according to different network requirements.
Turkcell’s Senior Vice President of Network Technologies, Gediz Sezgin, said: “This test on the 15GHz spectrum is also very significant as it points to the kind of future that awaits us.
“While we at Turkcell continue to work hard to build one of the world’s strongest 4.5G networks, this trial also makes us one of the first companies in the world to test 5G technologies.
“Our goal is not only to make Turkey into one of the first countries to adopt 5G, but also to develop 5G technologies here in Turkey, in other words to make Turkey into a country that not only uses but also produces key next generation communications technologies.”
Ziya Erdem, Head of Ericsson Turkey, said: “The next four or five years will see a number of technological breakthroughs in this country.
“5G technology will enable a variety of advances ranging from remote healthcare to driverless vehicles, and Ericsson will continue to play its part in making this possible.”
Ericsson also held a separate trial of potential 5G technology at the Istanbul University Süleyman Demirel Cultural Centre, which involved several unnamed Turkish operators, and government and regulatory bodies.
It said the trial hit speeds of 22GBps but Ericsson did not mention what technology was used nor what spectrum bands were tapped.
Turkcell said it will take part in further tests by the 5G body NGMN Alliance this year and into 2018.
It has been exploring 5G since 2013. In August the Turkish operator signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to collaborate on 4.5 and 5G.