The National Communication Workshop, organized by the Communication Technologies Cluster (HTK), took place with the participation of Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority. The workshop, which brought together representatives from the communication and telecommunications sector, addressed developments regarding domestic and national technologies for 5G and beyond, as well as cybersecurity topics.
Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan stated, “The technology world is changing rapidly every day, and this change is deeply permeating every aspect of our lives. In particular, the electronic communications sector is one of the areas where this transformation is felt the fastest and most deeply. Because it is a subject that is directly intertwined with technology. Technology equals change, change equals development.”
Expressing that citizens' interest in electronic communication technologies is reflected in the figures, Sayan said, “Currently, we have 93.3 million mobile subscribers corresponding to a penetration rate of approximately 109.3%, while our M2M subscriber count has reached 10 million. Along with this, the availability of high-speed internet through mobile and fixed infrastructures constitutes one of our country's fundamental goals in the technology field.”
Sayan stated, “In this direction; 3G service was launched in 2009, and by March 2016, the subscriber count reached 66 million. Following the introduction of 4.5G in April 2016, today the 4.5G subscriber count has exceeded 86 million, accounting for 92.5% of our mobile subscribers. On the other hand, our broadband subscriber count has surpassed 92.6 million, while our fiber network, the most important element in infrastructure, has exceeded 577 thousand km. The number of subscribers receiving service via fiber has also passed 7.3 million.”
Emphasizing the importance of the National Technology Move for Turkey's transition to 5G with its own resources, Sayan said, “Within the framework of this vision, our goal is to produce high-tech products domestically and nationally in our country and to elevate our country to the level of the world's most powerful states and societies with the highest welfare levels, befitting the Turkey Century! On this path, we are now much closer to the goal of being a country that not only consumes technology but also designs, develops, produces, creates brands, and delivers them to world markets.”
Stating that they aim to develop a domestic and national production ecosystem through studies conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and BTK, Sayan said, “At this point, we have been successfully conducting the 5G Open Test Field, 5G TR Forum, and 5G Valley initiatives for years. Within the framework of the goal for our country's transition to 5G with domestic and national network products, the 'End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communication Network Project' is being carried out by our companies that are members of the Communication Technologies Cluster and our three mobile operators. Technology developers can conduct tests in the 5G Valley Open Test Field. Our main goal here is to establish testing, verification, and trial infrastructure for all kinds of R&D and product development activities in the 5G and Beyond fields, and to support the delivery of new services produced with our own resources to our people.”
Noting that ULAK, Turkey's first domestic and national base station, provides uninterrupted security and emergency communication services through mobile operators with 4.5G connection technologies, Sayan stated that this project makes Turkey one of the six countries in the world capable of producing base stations.
Sayan said, “Our pride in 5G, ULAK A.Ş., achieved another important success a few days ago with BTK's permission in this field. At the SAHA EXPO International Defense, Aviation, and Space Industry Fair held at the Istanbul Expo Center (IFM), it demonstrated 5G speeds of 1.2 Gbps to participants via special phones. In this regard, I would like to thank all our stakeholders who supported us once again in your presence.”
Emphasizing that they operate with the understanding that 'Turkey's data will stay in Turkey,' Sayan concluded his speech by saying, “In line with our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, which aims to widespread 5G and beyond communication technologies nationwide and to develop these technologies with domestic and national means, we are conducting comprehensive studies for protection against cyber attacks, data security, and developing defense mechanisms against digital threats. Our determined progress is also the key point of Turkey's future technological independence.”
President Karagözoğlu: The Way to Eliminate Security Risks is to Develop Technology Without External Dependency
Speaking at the workshop, Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, stated that the End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Project, which they have been working on since 2017 to enable Turkey to join the ranks of the few countries in the world capable of producing in 5G technology, is of great importance.
Karagözoğlu said, “The proper planning of these studies and the execution of the project have been an important technological development and initial step for our country. Being able to use the successful outcomes of the project within our 5G network is among our most important goals and expectations. Under the coordination of our Ministry and Institution, with the intensive efforts of some companies that are members of the Communication Technology Cluster and ULAK AŞ, we have taken important steps by successfully conducting trials and tests of domestic 5G products.”
Stating that infrastructure work is rapidly continuing to integrate into the 5G technology targeted to be transitioned by 2026 with domestic and national means, Karagözoğlu said, “ULAK Communication continues its work aiming to carry the existing 4.5G infrastructure to 5G in the most efficient way. In September last year, the first signal received from the national portable 5G private network system opened the doors to a new era on this path.”
Emphasizing the importance of domestic and national software for ensuring cybersecurity, Karagözoğlu said, “The surest way to eliminate security risks is to develop and manage technology without external dependency. The National Cyber Incident Response Center (USOM), established within our Institution and referred to as 'Turkey's cyber fortress,' operates 24/7 with domestically and nationally developed software entirely from internal institutional resources to develop a cybersecurity mindset nationwide and prevent cyber threats. As long as we are at the helm of our duty, we will continue our activities, God willing.”