17.7.2017
BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, speaking at the General Information Meeting for Fixed Telephone Service (FTS) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) Operators, said, “Our country must always be a pioneer in the development of applications in the internet environment. Focusing on this reality, significant responsibilities fall to relevant stakeholders in strengthening our electronic communications infrastructure, and in the development and widespread adoption of internet usage.”
An information meeting on basic obligations was held at the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) headquarters with Fixed Telephone Service (FTS) Operators and Internet Service Provider (ISP) Operators. BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan made important statements at the meeting, which was organized to inform operators about the necessary regulations and to remind them of BTK's working principles.
460 COMPANIES HOLD AUTHORIZATION CERTIFICATES
Starting his speech by greeting those in the hall, Sayan stated, “Today, 460 different companies hold authorization certificates from our Institution. Looking at the authorization numbers, we see 167 for Fixed Telephone Services and 260 for Internet Service Provider services. Considering joint authorizations as well, we have invited 351 different sector representatives to this meeting.”
TO ACHIEVE 2023 TARGETS, WE MUST BE PIONEERS IN INTERNET AND ICT
Noting that the internet is effective in every area of life, Sayan said, “To achieve our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2023 targets, in the field of ICT, our country must always be a pioneer in increasing internet usage and developing applications in the internet environment. It is important for Turkey to be in a producer position rather than a consumer in this field. Focusing on this reality, significant responsibilities fall to relevant stakeholders in strengthening our electronic communications infrastructure, and in the development and widespread adoption of internet usage.”
INCREASE IN INTERNET USAGE MAKES US HAPPY
Expressing his hope that the increases in internet usage would bring qualitative gains, Sayan also touched upon the statistical reports prepared by BTK. Sayan stated, “In our country, the total DSL subscriber number reached approximately 8 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017, which represents an 8.5% increase compared to the same period last year. The total fiber internet subscriber number was approximately 2 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017, achieving about a 15% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. The average monthly usage amount of fixed broadband subscribers was approximately 54 GB in the first quarter of 2015, while it reached approximately 73 GB in the same period of 2017. In other words, the usage rate increased by 35% in two years. There have also been tremendous increases in mobile internet subscriber numbers and usage amounts. Therefore, if we look at the picture differently, fixed broadband access is not available in approximately 60% of households in our country. This situation reveals a huge potential for those providing fixed broadband internet access.”
FIRST QUARTER 2017 MARKET DATA
Sharing the market data for the first quarter of 2017, Sayan said, “As of the first quarter of 2017, there are 11 million fixed telephone service subscribers. Of these, 3.3 million are served by providers other than Türk Telekom, that is, by you. The market share of FTS operators in local calls is 15.2%, while it is 31% in long-distance telephone services. The share of FTS operators in outgoing international call traffic is 52.8%. In fixed and mobile network-terminated international traffic, the share of our fixed telephone service operators is approximately 80%.”
BULK SMS REGULATIONS
Stating that bulk messaging service is one of the most important services of fixed telephone service operators, Sayan said, “However, I would like to remind some points regarding the provision of the messaging service once again: Message headers must be created in accordance with our regulations. Identifying headers for persons and organizations must be used, operator-identifying codes must be added at the end of messages, full compliance with regulations regarding CLI (calling line identification) must be ensured, and CLI must not be altered. We need to pay attention to these matters.” He issued these warnings.
WE RECEIVE INTENSE COMPLAINTS REGARDING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES
Warning that operating or encouraging illegal betting is a crime, Sayan said, “We need to be sensitive to not sending messages that encourage citizens to gamble or bet, or facilitating the sending of such messages. At this point, we need to know that messages directing to illegal activities will neither contribute to our country's development nor benefit our citizens. In this context, I would like to inform you that we receive intense complaints particularly about some of our operators and that we are evaluating this issue together with relevant institutions.”
COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND CONSUMER PROTECTION MUST BE ENSURED
Expressing that services provided to consumers should be at reasonable prices, Sayan said, “Criteria that we should prioritize while providing our services include ensuring a competitive environment and consumer protection, providing service quality at world standards, and protecting national security and personal data security. In this regard, as an Institution, we aim to open a wide playing field with the rights granted for service provision and desire the development of the sector. As intended in this meeting, the aim is for our operators to know what rights they have with the authorizations given by our Institution and to have detailed information on the obligations imposed by the regulations. Thus, we hope that by recognizing the rights they have, our operators will be more effective in their services, and by recognizing their service provision obligations, they will not face administrative sanctions and penalties that may arise due to the increasing supervision of the sector in the future.”
WE SAW HOW IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION IS IN NATIONAL SECURITY ON JULY 15
Emphasizing the role of communication in national security, Sayan said, “With this meeting, I want to remind one more thing and conclude my speech. We have expressed and will continue to express on various occasions that communication, in addition to its contribution to economic and social welfare, is of vital importance for countries' national security. We all experienced the most vivid example of this on July 15, 2016.”
Continuing his speech, Sayan said, “As you know, next Saturday is July 15. It is a day that left deep traces in all our minds, revealing a much more vile and insidious betrayal than many attacks and coup attempts we have seen in our history. It is the first anniversary of the coup attempt that our nation thwarted with its foresight and determination, aiming to take away our right to live freely. Today, details are emerging every day. Everyone is understanding better both the magnitude of this betrayal and the story of the epic written by our nation. Today, if it weren't for our courageous people on July 15, we couldn't have protected this homeland. We owe each of them our gratitude. We all personally witnessed the role of communication in preventing this coup attempt. That night, the power of communication brought people together at bridge piers, at the complex, in front of the General Staff, and in front of the Police. Communication, being one of the main elements that created this determination, must be developed in accordance with the conditions of our age and future ages. Therefore, it is of great importance that we invest and provide our services not just with day-to-day commercial concerns, but with policies promising a new future.”
Sayan concluded his speech with the words, “On this occasion, I commemorate with respect all our martyrs and veterans of the July 15 betrayal attempt, along with the martyrs and veterans who risked their lives to keep communication uninterrupted. I greet you all with respect and love. Stay well.”
At the meeting, BTK Authorization Department Head Beytullah Kuşçu, Customs and Trade Specialist Bahar Emre from the Ministry of Customs and Trade, and Bülent Kent, General Secretary of the Access Providers Association, each made a presentation. In the final section of the meeting, a Q&A session was held with the participation of BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Institution vice presidents, and Authorization Department Head Beytullah Kuşçu.