Turkcell, Vodafone grab Turkish 3G licences

Turkey’s leading mobile operator, Turkcell, said Monday that it has won the auction for the country’s biggest 3G frequency licence, paying out Eur358m for 40MHz of spectrum.

The auction was the Turkish government’s second attempt to sell off nationwide 3G licenses, after a cancelled auction in 2007 in which Turkcell was the only bidder.

This time, second placed wireless operator Vodafone also snapped up a licence, paying out Eur250m for a 35MHz swathe of spectrum, and third placed Avea paid Eur214m for 30MHz.

Meanwhile, Vodafone is believed to be in discussions with German cable TV operator Kabel, over a potential Eur2.8bn takeover of the firm.

The move would bolster Voda’s domestic fixed line operations, which it operates via its fixed line subsidiary, Arcor.