5th Generation (5G) Launch Ceremony of the Development Projects for Mobile Communication Infrastructure was held under the auspices of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, AK Party Head of Information and Communication Technologies and Ankara MP Dr. Ömer İleri, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, and UDHAM Chairman Selami Yazıcı.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu emphasized that with the Call Program aimed at supporting the Development Projects for 5th Generation (5G) Mobile Communication Infrastructure, they aim to encourage domestic and national production, stating, "With this project, for the first time in Turkey, work will be carried out in the direction of developing domestic and national products through collaboration between the producing company, the operator that will use the product, and the supporting institution."
“We will deliver broadband internet service to every home”
Stating that the number of mobile subscribers, which was 23 million in 2002, has reached approximately 91.36 million today, Uraloğlu said, “We see that the broadband subscriber number, which was almost zero in 2002, has now reached 93.06 million. In the coming period, we will deliver broadband internet service to every home. We target our broadband subscriber number to reach 111.7 million and mobile subscriber number to 101.8 million by 2028. Our fiber infrastructure length has exceeded 536 thousand kilometers. Thanks to our Çamlıca Tower, which for the first time in the world can broadcast 100 FM radio stations simultaneously from a single communication tower; we have reduced the measured electromagnetic field value in the region from 39 Volts/meter to below the acceptable threshold of 6 Volts/meter for the European Union, down to 2.5 Volts/meter. This provided approximately a 15-fold improvement.”
“The number of e-Government Gateway users approaches 64 million”
Uraloğlu stated that the number of users of the e-Government Gateway, which was launched in 2008 under the coordination of the Ministry and continues to be operated by TÜRKSAT, approaches 64 million, and today 7,410 services from 1,001 institutions are offered to citizens in electronic environment.
“We are developing all products needed in 5G infrastructure with domestic and national capabilities”
Underlining the importance of 5G in his speech, Minister Uraloğlu said, “It is obvious that 5G networks, which will open a new era in the technology world, will create trillions of dollars in economic value and millions of job opportunities. We are working to develop all products needed in 5G infrastructure, from antennas to core networks, with domestic and national capabilities.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated, “In coordination with our Ministry and BTK, we established the Communication Technologies Cluster (HTK) under OSTİM in 2017 to develop a domestic and national production ecosystem in the electronic communication sector. By HTK member companies, in order to meet hardware and software needs on the road to 5G with domestic and national capabilities, the ‘End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communication Network Project’ (UUYM5G Project) was developed. With our project, we aim to eliminate our external dependency in electronic communication infrastructure.”
"Our internet speed is literally flying in 5G trials"
Stating that the 5G network is being tested in 25 locations including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Edirne, and Kocaeli within the framework of the given permissions, Uraloğlu said, "BTK granted permission to 3 mobile operators to provide 5G service at Istanbul Airport. According to the reports we received from the operators, subscribers' average data download speeds are 1 gigabit per second and upload speeds are 90 megabits per second. In other words, our internet speed is literally flying. With 5G, our primary goal is to provide speed to compete with the world and to ensure the transition by using a high proportion of domestic and national products. Our country is advancing confidently towards becoming one of the leading economies of the future with the steps it has taken in digitalization."
“We have completed all processes regarding our R&D support call with 14 companies”
Minister Uraloğlu expressed that in 2022, with the contributions of BTK, HGM, mobile operators, and companies working on 5G, they determined the 5G support call titles. Uraloğlu stated, “As a result of our work, on January 5, 2023, we made a 5G call under the name ‘Call Program to Support the Development Projects of 5th Generation (5G) Mobile Communication Infrastructure’. With this call, we aimed to encourage domestic and national production with R&D supported projects, reduce external dependency in high-tech products, and support R&D activities in the communication field.
Stating that they plan to provide a total of 200 million TL in support with the call program, Uraloğlu said, “We set the upper limit of 20 million TL per company for applications to multiple sub-titles under different call headings. We have completed all processes regarding our R&D support call with exactly 14 companies and started our projects on October 1, 2023.”
Noting that in this process that brings together all relevant stakeholders on domestic and national product supply, BTK, HGM, and mobile operators Vodafone, Turkcell, Türk Telekom cooperated on project monitoring and evaluation, Minister Uraloğlu said, “Today, we will hold the signing ceremony of the project monitoring cooperation protocol with UDHAM, BTK, HGM, and GSM operators, which is the reason for our presence here. I wish our cooperation to be beneficial and auspicious for our country.” with these words he concluded his speech.
After the speeches, the project monitoring cooperation protocol was signed with UDHAM, BTK, HGM, and GSM operators.