A top Turkish official said the country was hoping to hold a tender for 5G network services in August, adding that the mobile communication service was expected to start next year.
"I think we will hold this tender in August if there are no issues," Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu told reporters in Istanbul during a briefing.
"Instead of covering the entire country in the first stage, I think we will cover the densely populated provinces (first) and roll out this process gradually within the framework of the program. This was the case in 4.5G as well," he further said, according to remarks shared on Sunday.
Late last year, Uraloğlu shared plans to hold a tender this year and for usage to begin in 2026.
He at the time said that the widespread adoption and increased use of 5G will pave the way for new generation applications that require high connection quality and increased data load.
Uraloğlu answered journalists' questions at the press conference regarding the "Global Transport Connectivity Forum," which will be hosted by the ministry on June 27-29 and is expected to be opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He said that ministers from more than 50 countries will meet in Istanbul within the scope of the forum, according to the written statement shared by the ministry on Saturday.
Asked about the impact on aviation of the Iran-Israel conflict, Uraloğlu said Turkish airline companies had seven civilian aircraft stranded in Iran currently and four others in Iraq due to the closure of airspace in the region.
"We are following this up through our Foreign Ministry and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Given that air traffic is very intense in this region, neither us nor the relevant countries could take that risk," Uraloğlu said.
"At the first opportunity we will bring them back," he added, referring to the planes, which he said belonged to Turkish Airlines, its subsidiary AJet, Pegasus Airlines and Tailwind Airlines.
Moreover, when asked whether the conflict and war environment between Israel and Iran would disrupt projects such as the Development Road project, the minister pointed out that such conflicts bring some question marks.
Stating that the Strait of Hormuz is a sea transportation route through which 30% of the world's oil needs pass, he further said: "Of course there may be issues at certain times, but our effort is to prevent these from happening, we do not foresee this continuing indefinitely."
Heightened tensions between Israel and Iran have triggered fluctuations in global energy markets. The concerns have mounted about the impact of the conflict on oil prices and global economy, which already is dealing with months of on-and-off tariffs and growing uncertainty.
Iran is one of the major gas suppliers for the Turkish market but Türkiye has also secured deals with Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and the country is not experiencing any disruption in its supply, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, earlier this week.
Furthermore, Uraloğlu drew attention to the fact that transportation corridors are more valuable in times of crisis, citing that it is very possible for these corridors or the countries that will use them to be targeted.
When asked about the point reached in the Development Road project, the financing model and the progress in this sense, he said: "I can say that the Development Road project is more or less finished, at around 95%."
"Only in the region close to our border, some detailed work is being done. That place has its own sensitivities, that's why. I can say that today we have the opportunity to start the project," he added.
Additonally, he stated that many alternatives have been discussed and continue to be discussed in terms of financing models, and explained that many options such as having Iraq do it in exchange for crude oil, finding international financing have been discussed so far.
"There is a four-party agreement there, but I can say that we have made progress in terms of establishing a company as Iraq and Türkiye in terms of construction in the first stage and carrying out the construction work through this company," he said.
"In terms of financing, this can be done with the initiative of the four countries, perhaps through a fund or by establishing a fund. I think, if we focus on this a little this year, we can start construction next year," he added.
Dubbed the Development Road, the project is expected to cost some $17 billion and is designed to facilitate the transport of goods from the Gulf to Europe via the Grand Faw Port in Basra in southern Iraq.
Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are sides in Development Road. The initiative, which was unveiled in 2023, would turn Iraq into a transit hub by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe to rival the Suez Canal.
At the same time, Uraloğlu also touched upon the Middle Corridor, recalling that they held talks with Chinese officials during a visit to China last month.
He was quoted as saying that China currently has very serious subsidies in both the Northern Corridor and the Middle Corridor, which originate from China and go to Europe. He cited China's readiness to transport as many trains through Türkiye as possible.
"In this sense, we are closely following this process through both the private sector and the Turkish State Railways, and we will develop this," he concluded.
The Middle Corridor is a China-Europe cargo route promoted by the West as an alternative to shipments via Russia, and it includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
Recently, a Turkish firm inked an agreement with a subsidiary of China Railway to launch cargo train services along a corridor, with 10 train services slated for operation in the initial phase.
