In an impressive demonstration of telecommunications prowess, state-controlled Turkcell has announced that it achieved a remarkable speed milestone in its 5G-Advanced trial in Istanbul. Benefiting from equipment supplied by ZTE, the trial recorded a maximum downlink speed of just over 32 Gbps.
This significant achievement involved leveraging a combination of mid-band and mmWave spectrum. Mid-band spectrum, specifically n78 which spans 3300 MHz to 3800 MHz, was utilized alongside the 1.6-GHz of mmWave spectrum. These bands were supported through the deployment of two iterations of ZTE’s active antenna units.
ZTE’s equipment demonstrated its potential as a leading player in 5G technology. With the theoretical ability to support speeds beyond 256 Gbps, further speed records by Turkcell and other ZTE customers appear inevitable. The trial indicates potential tie-ups for exploring 5G-Advanced use cases for both consumer and enterprise sectors.
ZTE’s interest in headlines related to speed echoes a broader strategic goal to rival larger Chinese competitor Huawei. A recent example is the U.A.E’s e&, which set a new 5G-Advanced world record at 62 Gbps utilizing various frequency aggregations, with Huawei presumed as the network equipment provider.
For Turkcell, whose largest stakeholder is the Turkey Wealth Fund, their partnership with ZTE signals a divergent approach compared to the European Union’s stance on Chinese vendors. While Turkey’s EU accession process remains stalled, its telecommunications strategy underscores a potential drift from European supply chain norms.
Beyond speed records, Turkcell disclosed its financial performance for Q3 2024, reporting a 6.9% year-on-year revenue increase to 40.2 billion lira. With an EBITDA increase of 10.4% to TRY17.7 billion and customer growth in postpaid mobile and fiber sectors, Turkcell delivered a robust financial update.
