Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan attended the 16th Huawei User Group Meeting and made important statements. At the meeting held in Istanbul, 500 telecommunications sector professionals from more than 40 countries and 70 carriers gathered.
Deputy Minister Sayan thanked Huawei for organizing this important event in his opening speech and expressed his pleasure in hosting all participants in Istanbul. At the meeting, Huawei Senior Vice President and ICT Sales & Services President Mr. Li Peng, Huawei Board Member and ICT Products & Solutions President Mr. Yang Chaobin, Huawei Carrier Business Group President Mr. James Chen, and Huawei Global Technical Services President Mr. Bruce Xun were also present.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Sayan emphasized that our world is changing rapidly and connectivity is vital for everyone. Noting that information and communication technologies are now present in every aspect of our lives, Sayan highlighted that approximately 5 billion people worldwide use internet technologies.
Stating that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has invested 275 billion dollars in transportation and communication infrastructure over the past 21 years, making a great contribution to Turkey's development and progress, Deputy Minister Sayan said that the total number of fixed and mobile broadband internet subscribers has reached 93.3 million. He added that the fiber length has reached 562 thousand kilometers and the number of fiber broadband subscribers has increased by an average of 20% annually to 6.7 million.
Deputy Minister Sayan stated that Turkey was the first country to implement 4.5G wireless networks in 2016 and is currently preparing for 5.5G, planning to directly deploy 5.5G networks in 2026. He said that with this new technology, users will experience 5 to 10 times better speed with faster data transmission and lower latency, enabling the digital transformation of thousands of sectors in Turkey.
Noting that over the past decade, Huawei has worked with Turkey to advance national science and technology, promote the prosperity of the industry ecosystem, cultivate new talents, and support the evolution of advanced networks such as 4.5G and 5.5G, Deputy Minister Sayan expressed appreciation for Huawei's "In Turkey, for Turkey" strategy.
Deputy Minister Sayan said that Huawei plays an important role in Turkey's R&D ecosystem with its innovative products and services, efforts to develop local talents, partnerships with local vendors, and local investments. Stating that foreign companies investing in Turkey are considered as local companies, Sayan expressed his hope that more companies, especially from the technology industry around the world, will invest in Turkey.
Noting that the Huawei User Group Meeting has been held for 16 years, Deputy Minister Sayan emphasized that Huawei is committed to listening to customers' voices globally, addressing the most urgent issues in networks, improving product quality, and continuously creating value for the telecommunications industry. Expressing that high quality is the foundation of digital transformation, Sayan concluded his speech by stating that there is a rapid transition to IoT and 5.5G networks to help trigger the explosion of digital economies for society.