Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan spoke at the "Domestic Production in Technology and the Power of SMEs" event organized by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Vodafone Turkey.
Stating that information and communication technologies are the leading actor for every sector, Sayan said that investments made in this field directly affect and develop all other areas.
Sayan stated that as the Ministry, in line with the "National Technology Initiative" launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they see the development of a sustainable domestic and national ecosystem in the field of information and communication technologies as a strategic goal and are carrying out important studies together with stakeholders in this area.
Emphasizing that one of the most important tools directing the economy is also the manufacturing industry, Sayan said, "As in many countries, SMEs, which constitute 99.8% of active companies in our country, form the main source of economic growth and business development. SMEs play an important role in job creation, innovation, and stimulating domestic demand through competition."
Reminding that as the Ministry and the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK), they have issued various regulations with the aim of supporting SMEs in the information and communication sector and enabling them to take a larger share from the sector, Sayan stated that in 3G concession agreements and 4.5G authorization documents, they requested that at least 10% of the investments to be made by mobile operators regarding their electronic communication networks be procured from SMEs established in Turkey to develop products or systems.
Deputy Minister Sayan: First Phase of End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communication Network Project to be Completed in the First Quarter of the Year
Stating that they continue their policies and strategies for developing a domestic and national production ecosystem for 5G as well, Sayan said, "HTK has become an organization hosting more than 130 companies and over 8,000 employees as of today. The End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communication Network Project was developed by our HTK member companies and mobile operators to meet our country's hardware and software needs on the path to 5G with domestic and national capabilities, and the first phase of this project will, God willing, be completed by the first quarter of 2021." He used these expressions.
Sayan, who said that 5G data transmission and call scenarios were successfully realized over domestic and national infrastructures using commercial 5G mobile devices within the scope of the project, said, “Within the scope of 4.5G, operators made an average annual investment of 1.6 billion liras in hardware and software. This figure will be even higher with 5G. I think that by establishing a balance between supply and demand between operators and SMEs, they can contribute to the development of the ecosystem.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: The Goal is to Produce High Value-Added Products
Expressing that the aim of all companies operating in the sector should not be just to obtain a Domestic Goods Certificate by providing a 51% domestic input rate for the product, Sayan said, "Within the framework of our country's domestic and national production vision, research should be conducted to identify producers with production potential in our country and these producers should be included in production activities."
Deputy Minister Sayan stated that to succeed in the field of information and communication technologies, there is absolutely no need to be a very large company, or to have massive company buildings or production facilities. Noting that he believes that with the support and projects of operators like Vodafone, SMEs will evaluate these opportunities and make important contributions to developing high value-added products, Sayan concluded his speech by saying, "One of our biggest aims as the Ministry is for every individual of our country to benefit from the blessings of developing technology at the highest level. We support every effort that adds strength to our power on this path. I believe that this event, brought together with the contributions of TOBB and Vodafone, will make significant contributions to our country's digital future in supporting domestic and national production."