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Turkcell sets sights on 5G-A, 6G and AI with Ericsson and Mavenir deals

Turkcell sets sights on 5G-A, 6G and AI with Ericsson and Mavenir deals

Turkcell made moves at Mobile World Congress 2026 this week to beef up its planned 5G network, deploy AI in its mobile core and get started on 6G via separate deals with Ericsson and Mavenir.

On Wednesday, Ericsson announced it had been selected by Turkcell to jointly develop, integrate, and deploy advanced RAN solutions to fast-track its evolution toward 5G Advanced capabilities, leveraging the recent commercial launch of 5G services in Turkey.

Turkcell and Ericsson also signed an MoU under which they will accelerate adoption of cloud-native and automated network architectures to enable faster time-to-market for innovative services. Technology domains covered by the MoU include RedCap, cloud RAN, service management and orchestration and intelligent rApps.

“With our commercial 5G Advanced launch in Türkiye, our priority is to evolve the network into a cloud-native, automation-driven platform that can scale new services faster,” said Turkcell CTO Vehbi Çağrı Güngör in a statement. “This collaboration with Ericsson accelerates that journey. Ultimately, we will deliver more reliable, lower-latency connectivity and unlock new use cases such as AR/VR and industrial IoT for both consumers and enterprises.”

Onwards to 6G

Turkcell has not yet commercially launched 5G, nor have rival celcos Vodafone and Türk Telekom. All three telcos paid a collective US$2.125 billion for 700-MHz and 3.5-GHz spectrum in the country’s 5G spectrum auction in October 2025. Turkey’s Transportation and Infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed earlier this week that all three telcos are set to launch nationwide 5G services in all 81 provincial centres at the start of next month, according to media reports.

Even so, Turkcell is already setting its sights on the next ‘G’. Under another MoU also revealed on Wednesday, Ericsson and Turkcell agreed to collaborate on 6G research and development in Turkey. That MoU focuses on key technologies including agentic AI, autonomous network enablers, and digital twins for network operations.

“We have positioned 5G as an infrastructure that enables digital transformation across sectors, ranging from manufacturing to healthcare, transportation to public services,” said Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koç. “The 6G collaboration we have initiated with Ericsson represents a significant step built upon this strong foundation. The 6G era is set to usher in a new era of intelligent, autonomous, and integrated connectivity, seamlessly integrating into every aspect of life.”

AI in the core

The same day, Turkcell signed an MoU with Mavenir to collaborate on speeding up the telco’s plan to launch AI-powered services for customers by using Mavenir’s cloud-native IMS architecture to embed AI directly into Turkcell’s mobile core.

Mavenir said the partnership reflects a broader industry shift toward AI-native network capabilities, where intelligence is embedded directly into core services rather than delivered through over-the-top applications. This will support the development and rollout of advanced and flexible new services such as premium AI voice and messaging services, AI-powered customer care enablement, and tiered consumer AI subscriptions, said Brandon Larson, Mavenir’s SVP and GM for cloud, AI and IMS business strategy.

“There is real power in AI when it’s delivered with a clear focus on solving a problem and adding real customer value,” Larson said. “Turkcell has specific objectives it is seeking to reach, not least of which is the power to introduce exciting new services. AI redefines the economics of traditional voice and messaging capabilities, and this partnership will bring that to life.”



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