Turkcell showcased for the first time live LTE Broadcast technology in Turkey during a basketball game between the countries' two leading teams, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray Odeabank.
During the demo, journalists were able to watch HD videos of the game from 4 different angles on Turkcell’s test network that supports 4.5G. The test was carried out in partnership with Ericsson where LG G3 smartphones which support LTE broadcast technology were used.
According to Turkcell, Turkey is among the leading consumers of mobile video. Based on figures by ABI Research, 60% of Turkish smartphone users watch long videos – defined as 5 minutes or longer – on their mobile devices at least once a day.
The trial comes at a critical time as Turkcell counts down to the introduction of 4.5G on the 1st of April. With its unique spectrum configuration, Turkcell will be able to offer mobile broadband speeds of up to 375 mbps and additional services including LTE Broadcast.
Ilker Kuruoz, Chief Technology Officer of Turkcell
To be able to offer LTE broadcast experience, operators have to establish dedicated spectrum and make sure that this does not influence 4.5G communication in any way. This was one of our major considerations as we acquired more spectrum than our competitors during the spectrum auction held in August.
