İTÜ Vodafone Future Lab, launched through collaboration between Vodafone and Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), has been opened.
The opening program was attended by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karaca, Vodafone Türkiye CEO Colman Deegan, and numerous sector representatives.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Our Only Way Out is to Produce Our Own Technology
In his speech, Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, stated, “In a world where everything is advancing so rapidly, it is impossible for us to fall behind. For this reason, our only way out is to produce our own technology. As you know, developing domestic and national technologies is a matter that our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasizes with great sensitivity. The 'National Technology Initiative' expressed by him serves as an indispensable guide for us to compete with developed countries. Our President has repeatedly stressed the acceleration of field studies on domestic and national production technologies, ensuring that investments for our country's future are made entirely with domestic and national production in mind, and conducting all efforts to reduce external dependency without regard for time and cost losses. As the Ministry, we continue our activities under the 2023 vision to intensively carry out high value-added innovative studies in Turkey. By coming together with our stakeholders, we are always on high alert to become one of the countries that produces technology with domestic and national capabilities to the highest possible extent.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: We Are Working to Enable You to Evaluate Opportunities Comfortably
Sayan continued, “One of the most important studies we see in this field is transitioning to 5G together with the whole world. At the beginning of the studies, meeting high value-added products such as hardware and software used in the critical communication sector during the 4.5G tender preparation process with domestic and national capabilities comes first. Under the 4.5G authorization, mobile operators are required to ensure that at least 45% of their annual average hardware and software investments of 1.5 Billion TL are domestic products. Delivering domestic and national products and services to our consumers in the best, most accurate, and shortest time is an important opportunity not only for communication technologies but also for companies closely following technology in every dimension of trade. We are striving to provide stakeholders with a comprehensive roadmap on variables such as the size and potential of the sector, interactions with other sectors, and threats, so that you can comfortably evaluate these opportunities.”
President Karagözoğlu: We Are Working for People to Benefit Equally from Technology
Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, who spoke at the laboratory's opening, emphasized that computer technology is as important for the information society as mechanization is for the industrial society. Karagözoğlu stated, “Just as advanced land, air, and sea routes are needed in agricultural and industrial societies to transport goods and services quickly from one place to another, information and communication technologies and laboratories that contribute to their growth are equally needed in the information society. We, who work in areas guiding the information technologies and communication sector, are working tirelessly at this stage to fulfill our duties. As the regulatory and supervisory authority, BTK both ensures that people benefit equally from the benefits of technology and takes firm steps at the right time to protect them from its potential negative effects. I would also like to note that we are very pleased to walk this path with both our public and private sectors and to frequently come together to benefit from the valuable experience and ideas of our stakeholders.”
President Karagözoğlu: 5G Signals Have Been Given in Many Places
Referring also to BTK's studies, Karagözoğlu shared, “We aim for our country's mobile services journey from 2G to 4.5G to continue in the near future with 5G and beyond technologies entirely through domestic and national capabilities. We spend a significant portion of our efforts on how to have more fiber networks and fiber internet subscribers than dial-up connections. As an institution, we have strived to transition to 5G together with countries around the world. First 5G signals have been given in many places, including our country. Tests and trials are being conducted. Operators are finalizing their technology capabilities and business plans. We also broadcasted Turkey's first 5G signals at the 5G Valley Open Test Field established under our institution's leadership in Ankara.”
Calling on developers who want to benefit from the 5G Valley, Karagözoğlu said, “To protect all our fields against possible cyber attacks, we have developed software like AVCI, AZAD, and KASIRGA entirely with domestic and national capabilities. The Cyber Incident Response Center USOM and the SOME units operating under USOM's coordination work 24/7 against attacks that could affect our country. We act together with all stakeholders to ensure cybersecurity. We are conducting studies for all stakeholders to gain the necessary training and experience for this awareness and competence. Activities such as cyber security drills and competitions, specific trainings for capacity building are being carried out under BTK. In this context, our practical cybersecurity training laboratory was established under the FETİH project, providing participants with the opportunity to conduct one-on-one cybersecurity tests and develop themselves in this area.”
Following the speeches, the opening ceremony proceeded.