Türk Telekom launched the 5G service, which will be officially available on April 1, 2026, with a special gala night organized at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM). The company, which appeared on stage with the vision of “5G for Everyone”, was at the center of the agenda with a surprise stage performance while sharing its technical infrastructure, R&D studies and future plans.
The most talked about moment of the night was when the deceased artist Müslüm Gürses was brought to the stage with 5G-based hologram technology. Türk Telekom had Müslüm Gürses sing for a new song that he had never sung before, through artificial intelligence. In the duet with rap artist Sefo, Sefo’s song “Bilmem mi” came to life again with Müslüm Gürses’ artificial intelligence-supported voice. It should be noted that such a stage show would not be technically possible without the ultra-low latency and high bandwidth of 5G. With this demonstration, Türk Telekom both concretized the real-time data transfer capacity offered by 5G and added an emotional dimension to the event.
Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin explained the company’s 5G journey and future goals throughout the night. Şahin said, “Our story, which started 186 years ago with the aim of bringing the far distances closer, continues with the motto of bringing Türkiye to the future. Today, we are not only transitioning to a new technology, but we are opening the doors of a new era to carry our country to the future.” According to Şahin, 5G is not just a matter of connection speed, but a tool that will directly accelerate economic and social progress in areas such as accessibility in health, equality of opportunity in education, efficiency in production and energy savings.
Half a million kilometers of fiber, 61 percent connection rate
When we look at the technical side of the matter, the picture is quite concrete. Türk Telekom’s fiber infrastructure has exceeded half a million kilometers and this infrastructure stands out as the basic assurance of the company’s 5G capacity. 61 percent of LTE base stations are connected via fiber, and this rate is a critical indicator for 5G performance. One figure that CEO Ebubekir Şahin particularly emphasized is striking: Türk Telekom has already exceeded the world’s 2030 targets in terms of fiber-connected base stations. In addition, the company also announced that it is the operator with the highest 5G capacity per subscriber. The fiber network, which extends to all 81 provinces, is presented as the infrastructural equivalent of the “5G for Everyone” discourse.
Türk Telekom’s 5G investments are not limited to the last few years. The company announced that it has transferred over 23 billion dollars to Türkiye’s digital transformation since 2005. Emphasizing that it has been the investment leader of the sector for the last four years, Şahin reminded that they opened Türkiye’s first and most comprehensive 5G-focused Technology and Innovation Center in recent weeks. On the R&D front, group companies Argela and its Silicon Valley subsidiary Netsia have over 70 international patents in the field of 5G. Türk Telekom’s total national patent applications in 2025 were announced as 921.
The situation on the mobile side also stands on a positive ground for the company. Türk Telekom closed the year 2025 with the highest net subscriber addition in history and managed to become the most preferred operator in the mobile number porting market for four consecutive years. According to BTK’s 2025 third quarter data, the ranking in the mobile industry has changed. Şahin stated that this upward momentum will continue in the new period with artificial intelligence-supported customer experience management and strong 5G capacity.
To be honest, it is a conscious choice of Türk Telekom not to turn this night into an ordinary press conference. The “5G for everyone” statement carries the company’s claim to bring the technology not only to big cities but equally to 81 provinces. How quickly the coverage area will actually expand and how pricing will be shaped will become clear in the coming period. 5G in Türkiye is officially active as of April 1, 2026.
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