We  start to accept applications for 4G Tests

The fundamental principles, which will be based on application of Article 13 of Law 6/2012, the Electronic Communication Law, were determined with the Law and principles of "providing wide ranging electronic communication services throughout the country" and "applying technological impartiality and technological innovations as well as encouraging research and development activities and investments." Promoting new technologies and services by protecting the rights and benefits of consumers and providing these services with the consumers and users in a fast, high quality and cost effective way are included in the objectives of Information Technologies and Communication Authority, which was established by Law, in line with the abovementioned principles. In line with the authorities of the Authority that were determined with the Law and with aforementioned principles and objectives, the Authority carries out various works in order to enable communication service providers to make the necessary research and development and test operations for promoting new communication technologies and for offering them to consumers in our country and the necessity to inform the public was created.

As it is known, 4G technology is the fourth generation in mobile electronic communication technology standards and it provides the opportunity of broadband internet for laptops having suitable wireless modem, smart phones and for other mobile devices. 4G technology supports application such as mobile web access, IP phone, game services, high definition mobile TV, video conference, 3D TV and cloud computing.  LTE standard supports 100 Mbit/s, LTE Advanced Standard supports 1 Gbit/s, Mobile Wi-Max standard supports 100 Mbit/s download speeds in the framework of 4G system and these download speeds change depending on technical parameters such as the width of the spectrum used. In the United States of America, Mobile Wi-Max infrastructure has been offered to consumers by communication service providers since 2008 and LTE infrastructure has been used since 2010. In the European Union, all member states except for a few countries completed or completing the necessary technical and legal infrastructure preparations for providing 4G services.

Beginning to offer 4G systems in our country as well, which is the latest technology that has been developed in mobile broadband infrastructures and which has begun to be applied by many countries as mentioned above, has importance. Before making the necessary investments to offer this technology commercially, it is known that the communication service providers are required to carry out technical studies and tests. Therefore, it is decided by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority to prepare and publish the forms on trial permit that will be made for 4G (LTE) infrastructures and to assess the applications that will be made with this application form. For the present GSM communication service providers, the trial permits are planned to be given among suitable frequency bands in GSM-1800 band, while 2600 MHz band (FDD:2500 -2570 MHz UL and 2620-2690 MHz DL, TDD:2570-2620 MHz) is planned to be given for other communication service providers.

How can I get authorization?

Steps for Authorization/Application

1. You should notify the Authority with the notification form determined by the Authority.
2. It is necessary to submit the notification form and additional required documents to the Authority completely and properly.
3. Your authorization begins in the framework of general authorization to be valid as of the date of the complete forms and documents being registered at the records of the Authority.
4. The Authority sends the authorization document to the communication service provider in a week as of the notification is recorded at the registries of the Authority.
5. Authorization Document: It is an official document confirming that the notification was made in accordance with the provisions of Authorization, Numbering and Spectrum By-law and showing that the communication service provider can apply to the concerned parties to receive rights to establish facilities on or under public or private properties, that the communication service provider can negotiate access and it can have access or interconnection.
   

I need number and/or frequency allocation, what should I do?

1.      If you are a communication service provider and you need frequency and/or number allocation in the framework of right of individual usage for offering electronic communication service or establishing or operating electronic communication network, you should fill the notification form determined by the Authority and notify the Authority. Frequencies and numbers in the framework of right of individual usage cannot be used without being established the right of individual usage by the Authority.
 

2.      After you submit the notification form as well as the information and documents that are stated in the notification form in a complete and accurate way, the Authority makes the necessary examinations and informs its decision whether it is positive or negative on the condition that the following conditions are met in line and conformity with the Numbering Plan and the Spectrum Plan and the positive decisions of the Authority are published through the web site of the Authority as well.

1. To have the necessary authorization for the requested resources or having made the suitable notification with the request for resource,
2. The requested resources being available for allocation and being in conformity with the definition and geographical scope of the related service,
3. The sufficiency of technical capacity in line with the requested resources and having the market estimates and investment plan that will support the number of subscribers,
4. Being reached at the occupancy rate in additional resource requests that is determined with the Authority,
5. Providing other conditions that are required by the Authority.

3.      If there is something missing in your application, you are needed to complete the missing parts within a 15 day period. If not, then the application is removed.

4.      If your application is accepted, your possible payment dates are taken as basis and you are required to deposit to the related bank account by calculating as pro-rata until the end of the year, in which you applied. If the payment is not made within a month of the notification paper on the payment of the usage right by the Authority, then the application is removed.

5.      After submitting the bank receipt or document that the related payment was deposited, to the Authority, the authorization documents for usage right that includes resources, which were allocated by the Authority, is issued and delivered by hand. The communication service provider can begin to use the allocated resources as of the date of receiving the authorization document.

Payments on Authorization

Every year, communication service providers in the content of general authorization shall pay the Administrative Fee of the Authority, which is collected to meet the expenses that are created for the Authority to fulfil its duties determined with the Law. Communication service providers shall pay the fee for allocation and usage in allocations of right of individual usage (Allocations of Frequency and Number) and instalment and usage fees for the instalment and usage of wireless.

Administrative Fee of the Authority

1.      The Administrative Fee of the Authority shall be paid in the proportion determined with the Authority yearly as long as it will not exceed 1% (one percent) of the annual returns of communication service providers, which they earned from the electronic communication services and the activities of installing and operating electronic communication network of the previous year. Communication service providers are obliged to deposit the administrative fee of the Authority of the related year to the bank accounts of the Authority, which are stated by the Authority, in advance and to send the bank receipt to the Authority until the end of January of the same year.

2.      The companies that recently begin communication service providing operations shall informs the Authority on the annual return foresight, which they determine for the year, in which they notify the Authority, as well as the notification for communication service provider general authorization in order for the Authority to calculate the administrative fees. The administrative fee of the Authority is paid to make net settlement over the annual return foresight. The net settlement is made over the difference of the materialized annual return with the foresight of the annual return at the end of January of the next year. 

3.      Communication service providers, whose authorization and/or right of individual usage is cancelled/transferred or ended in any way, shall not be given back the administrative fee of the Authority fee, which they paid in advance.

4.      If the administrative fee of the Authority is not paid until the last day of January, the right to operate electronic communication network or provide electronic communication services of the communication service provider, which did not make the payment, can be suspended or cancelled by the Authority. However, if it is documented that the reason for not making the payment within the envisaged period was force majeure such as natural disaster, health, bankruptcy and etc., the Authority may give an additional period of 15 days.