April 1, 2016
The program held on the occasion of the "Launch of 4.5G IMT-Advanced Services" at the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) was attended by Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Mr. Binali Yıldırım, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Istanbul MP Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, BTK Board Members Figen Kılıç, Musa Şahin, Celalettin Dinçer, İhsan Kulalı, and Hidayet Yıldız. The opening speech was made by BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan.
BTK President Sayan said, “Dear Minister, distinguished participants, esteemed members of the press, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are here together experiencing the joy of welcoming a new service and a new technology to our country. Today is an important day for Turkey. We will begin to reap the first fruits of the efforts carried out for months in various dimensions by our ministry, our institution, and our operators. As of 12:00 tonight, we are launching 4.5G services. In 15 minutes and 18 seconds, 4.5G will be live. I am proud and happy to share this important moment with you. May it be auspicious and blessed.”
We are working together to make Turkey an information society, a country that both uses and produces technology. In line with this goal, under the leadership of our esteemed minister, mobile internet entered our lives with 3G technology. We started doing many of our tasks over 3G. Sharing on social media has become an indispensable part of daily life. However, the speed of technology has made 3G obsolete. Even the DSL we once envied for our fixed home internet is no longer satisfactory. Now everyone wants fiber to their home.
Today, with our President's vision to save our country from becoming a technology dump, we have provided mobile internet at hundreds of megabytes, even gigabyte levels, not with 4G but with 4.5G, which is dozens of times faster than 3G. Moreover, we will be able to access this service through our domestic and national base station project, ULAK. On this occasion, I would like to thank all public and private sector organizations that contributed to this project.
From now on, as the BTK family, we will work even harder together and sign more beneficial works for our country. We will continue the support we showed in the 4.5G process for increasing domestic and national R&D production in the same way and even more strongly. While concluding my words here, I wish that the 4.5G services, which serve as a bridge to 5G technology, be auspicious for our country and our homeland. I greet you all with respect and love.”
The 4.5G era in Turkey officially began with Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım's first 4.5G connection during a conversation with our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was continuing his contacts in Washington, participated live via mobile phone in the "Launch of 4.5G IMT-Advanced Services" ceremony held at the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK). President Erdoğan, who conducted the first trial of the technology by video calling Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Minister Binali Yıldırım using 4.5G technology, made a speech from his mobile phone at the ceremony he joined remotely.
Emphasizing that the next step is 5G technology and that the real transformation in the mobile sector will occur with 5G, Erdoğan said, “Our operators and producers need to continue their work tirelessly together with relevant public institutions. I believe our country will be one of the first to enter the 5G league. In the electronic communications sector, just like in our defense industry, we must not forget that domestic production and the use of domestic products is a national issue.”
Thanking the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication, BTK, and sector representatives for their contributions to the realization of the 4.5G project, Erdoğan stated that even the smallest step taken for Turkey and domestic production would lead to important developments and that he wholeheartedly supports efforts in this direction.
Minister Binali Yıldırım expressed that they started a new day with a new service, stating that the 4.5G communication service had begun minutes ago. Noting that there was more than 6,000 miles between him and President Erdoğan, with whom the first 4.5G connection was made, Yıldırım said, "There are issues on their roads, but nothing on our side. Our roads are smooth as butter; I'm listening with headphones, no interruptions."
Stating that 4.5G involves increasing the number of lanes and capacity on communication roads and raising the speed up to 10 times, Yıldırım said, "Thus, no matter what we do, in every service and production we undertake, thanks to this opportunity provided by technology, we will save time. We will increase the quantity in production, quality, and our competitiveness."
Yıldırım explained that their goal with 4.5G is to spread it to every point in the country within the specified work program, announcing that it would initially be available in metropolitan areas and then expand to less populated settlements.
Pointing out that the progress of technology shows the level a country has reached, Yıldırım said, "We cannot settle for this; we must also possess this technology, have access to information, produce information, and use it. We will achieve this by conducting more research and product development work. In other words, we will invest more capital in intellectual effort and spend more time on it. Thus, with high value-added technological products, we will elevate our country's power to the top position among world nations. This is our ultimate goal."
Noting that while Turkey's export per kilogram is below 2 liras, in developed countries it exceeds 10 dollars because they produce more technological, higher value-added products, Yıldırım stated the following:
"There is something called 'brain money.' What Turkey needs is for products produced with intellect and reason to have a greater share in our exports and development. The main purpose of these technologies is that. They are the information infrastructure, the roads of intellect. Placing products and services on top of them is our job from now on. Our government and ministry are providing all kinds of incentives in this direction. BTK is taking serious measures and providing incentives to increase research and development activities in Turkey. We saw this in 3G licensing. We saw it in efforts to increase domestic production, and we will continue our work on this issue even more intensively in 4.5G. Our operators have made serious efforts to switch to 4.5G in a short time, but they are just at the beginning of the road. The real work starts now; when citizens start using it, the extent to which the established infrastructure and this service meets needs or not will emerge through applications. Everything said in the field and at the desk has been realized. Our Ministry and regulator BTK will continue meticulously in implementation. Our aim is to facilitate our citizens' lives when introducing new services, increase quality of life, and ensure effective use of time based on the principle that time is money. I wish this important service to be auspicious for our country and nation."
Stating that they do not discriminate among operators, Yıldırım said, "They are all colors of Turkey. The difference will be in the performance you deliver, the service quality you provide. You started the race at the same time. From now on, the skill is yours. The faster you meet the demands of our citizens, the happier we will be. I wish you all success. May it be auspicious and blessed. May your path be open. May your speed be 4.5G."
Minister Yıldırım then connected to the GSM Operators' Command Centers via 4.5G. Erkan Akdemir, CEO of Türk Telekom Group's Individual Business Unit, where the first connection was made, stated that they were very excited and enthusiastic, saying they had realized the most intensive investment period in GSM history in the shortest time. Expressing that they had invested in thousands of base stations, Akdemir thanked everyone who contributed to this transformation.
Turkcell General Manager Kaan Terzioğlu also expressed that as of that moment, 1 million 186 thousand Turkcell customers had connected to 4.5G services and they were very happy about it. Noting that their engineers had worked 1 million hours and traveled 790 thousand kilometers to reach this point, Terzioğlu wished the new technology to be auspicious for the country.
Vodafone Turkey CEO Gökhan Öğüt emphasized that 4.5G is a very important step in Turkey's digital transformation, saying, "After an intensive period, it's a beautiful evening; we are happy and proud. We are excited to connect all four corners of Turkey to 4.5G as soon as possible."