Turkey's largest mobile telco won on Friday its bid for the country's third-generation mobile phone license, paving the way to the introduction of 3G services by middle of 2009.

Turkish company Turkcell

The company Turkcell -- which claims 36 million subscribers - offered $462 million for an "A-type" 3G mobile phone license and outbid competitors Vodafone and Avea, according to an Associated Press report.

The "A-type" license covers the widest bandwidth from a total of four 3G licenses auctioned by the Turkish government.

Turkcell said in a statement that the license will enable the company to provide "IMT 2000/UMTS services and infrastructure".

Turkcell will go 3G by mid-2009, the AP report added.

Turkcell shares are currently traded in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) and, since July 2000, in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It is the first and only NYSE-listed Turkish company.