The 5G and Network Transformation Conference, organized by Argela and its Silicon Valley affiliate Netsia, was held in Istanbul.
Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, attended the 5G and Network Transformation Conference organized by Argela and Netsia. Stating that the technology sector has significant responsibilities in building today and the future, Deputy Minister Sayan said, “We need to overcome our prejudices and determine our roadmap on what we can do for our country. Work on vendor-independent networks began with 4G and has become a more prominent agenda in next-generation networks like 5G. We can achieve gradual transformation in the network with our domestic and national production. Although we like to be the first to use technological innovations, we should not be just the users of the produced technology. Instead of being the first country to use innovative technology, our primary goal should be to be the country that produces technology and leads it. The one who uses technology first does not win; the one who uses it well wins. The one who produces technology first does not win; the one who produces it well wins.”
Deputy Minister Sayan also shared the following information about 4G technology: “There are more than 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Including M2M applications, this figure exceeds 9 billion. Approximately 57% of the more than 5 billion mobile connections are made with smart devices. The number of mobile internet subscriptions obtained through these devices has exceeded 3.3 billion. Not only M2M but also OTT services hold an important place in the market in technological developments in the communications sector. While OTTs accounted for 9% of total messaging revenue in 2011, this figure has now reached 40%.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: Transformation Will Occur at Every Level of the Economy with 5G
Stating that the concept of “beyond” in 5G and Beyond studies refers to both the generations after 5G and the changes that will occur at every level of the economy and in every sector through 5G technologies, Sayan said, “There are now fundamental truths that we all realize. The world's largest hotel reservation site does not have a single room of its own. The world's largest retailer does not have its own products. The world's largest video sharing site grows and creates value by offering videos shot by users back to users. Moreover, these companies' revenues and soft power are greater than those of suppliers and operators. So, can we do the same right now? The answer to this question is both yes and no. If you say you will do the same as an application that has already settled in the market, unfortunately, you have little chance. Technology users are very dependent on network effects. The application sector is one where the first-mover advantage is intensely experienced. If you are entering the video sharing sector, it is impossible to get anywhere by doing the same as what has been done. It is also impossible to succeed by staying in one country or one region. Saying 'let the whole world use this video sharing site, and we use it in Turkey' is unfortunately not realistic.”
Emphasizing that there is no obstacle to Turkey's investment in global brands, Sayan said, “It is possible to create billion-dollar fortunes by intervening in the economy with a multiplier effect at the right place, with the right idea, at the right time. We do not know which applications will drive the masses in 5G. We want new ideas that will drive the world to emerge from Turkey and spread globally. There have been creative ideas from Turkey before. In the end, they had to either exit the market or merge by being acquired by foreign competitors. Now we want our domestic companies to come up with new ideas and turn into applications used worldwide by incorporating their competitors.”