Turkcell wins 3G license in Turkey

Third-generation, or 3G, operations support Web surfing, video and other services.

Turkcell offered euro358 million ($462 million) for an A-type 3G mobile phone license, the highest bandwidth from a total of four that were auctioned. The company outbid rivals Vodafone and Avea.

Vodafone and Avea then won licenses for lower 3G bandwidths, with offers of euro250 million and euro214 million respectively.

Turkcell said the system would become operational in Turkey by mid-2009.

Turkcell is the leading cell phone operator in Turkey with more than 36 million customers.

The company had won a similar tender last year, but that bid was canceled after Vodafone and Avea insisted that a deal allowing customers to change mobile phone operators without changing their phone numbers should come into effect first.