Turkcell deployed 4.5G to rural areas in Anatolia as a part of Turkey’s 'Universal connectivity' project. The operator started providing 4.5G services to 9 villages in the town of Cankiri, which were only covered by 2G. The 4.5G deployment in Cankiri is part of the 'Universal connectivity' agreement signed between Turkey’s Ministry of Transportation, Communication and Maritime Affairs and Turkcell.
Under the agreement, Turkcell is deploying 4.5G to cover 1,799 rural settlements. The agreement also requires 10 percent use of locally produced base stations. Turkcell plans to deploy Turkey’s nationally-produced base station Ulak for nearly 50 percent of the 'Universal 4.5G connectivity' project, with Cankiri being one of the first areas to be connected with the national base stations.
Turkey’s national base station is created by Aselsan with the contribution of Netas and Argela under the coordination of the Undersecretariat of Defence Industries and with the support of Ministry of Transport, Communication and Maritime Affairs, and Information and Communication Technology Agency.
Turkcell cooperated closely with the national base station project team, communicating industry requirements and helping the production of a competitive product. It plans to deploy the national base station in 700 locations in Turkey as a part of its Universal 4.5G expansion until the end of 2018.