The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for the 5G and Beyond Joint Graduate Support Program hosted by BTK took place. The importance of being among the first countries to implement 5G and Beyond with domestic and national capabilities was emphasized in the program.
The Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) hosted the signing ceremony of the 5G and Beyond Joint Graduate Support Program, which is a significant step in the studies conducted on 5G.
President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan stated that the contributions of information technologies to countries' development, economy, level of development, and education systems cannot be denied, and emphasized that Turkey, which aims to be among the top ten largest economies in the world, must absolutely succeed in the field of information technologies and communications.
Sharing the information from TUBİSAD's market data for the information and communication sector between 2013-2017 that the information and communication technologies sector grew by 15% annually and information technologies by 19%, Sayan said, “In 2017, the information and communication technologies sector achieved a 10% growth compared to the previous year, reaching an export figure of approximately 4.7 Billion TL. Additionally, looking at employment figures in the ICT field, the total employment reached 128,000 people in 2017. The total sector size reached approximately 117 Billion TL in 2017. In addition, applications such as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, M2M, and IoT, whose usage and prevalence are increasing day by day, will provide even greater economic gains in the coming decades. During the rapid development of technology, what falls to us is to identify and shape opportunities in advance and to work with all our might to be among the pioneering countries rather than those following technology from behind.”
BTK is Working to Lead Technology
Emphasizing that as BTK, they are working to lead technology and to be among the pioneering countries in technology, Sayan stated, “In line with Turkey's goal to adopt 5G mobile communication technology with the highest possible rates of domesticity and nationality and to be among the earliest adopting countries, we continue our work with the 5GTR Forum. Another important project in this field is the 5G Valley Open Test Field Collaboration Protocol, which we signed with our three prestigious universities—Bilkent, Hacettepe, and METU—and our three mobile operators, Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and Vodafone, for the establishment of the 5G and Beyond ecosystem.”
It is Our Youth Who Will Carry Our Country to Tomorrow
Stating that the 5G Valley Open Test Field will provide new R&D, product development, and testing opportunities for all stakeholders in the electronic communications sector, Sayan said, “We are rapidly continuing our efforts to create infrastructure for studies that will enable effective research and projects in the context of public-university-operator-industry collaborations, create high value-added job opportunities for the ecosystem, and contribute to employment. Additionally, we plan for everyone producing technology in 5G, such as academics, researchers, PhD students, and new techno startups, to benefit from this open test field. What will carry our country to the future is neither robots nor drones. It is the young human resource that can produce, shape, and design the future, robots, drones, and beyond that will carry our country to tomorrow. With this awareness, we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the 5G and Beyond Joint Graduate Support Program here today,” thereby highlighting the importance of the protocol.
President Sayan also shared the following information regarding the program's content: “In the scope of the goal to develop knowledge, capabilities, and resources related to communication technologies through collaboration and joint efforts of all relevant stakeholders included in the ecosystem, such as public institutions, operators, universities, and SMEs, we aim to contribute to and support the training of qualified domestic human resources who will work on 5G and Beyond next-generation communication technologies and digital transformation.”
Talented Youth Will Be Integrated into the Sector with the Protocol
Reminding that students pursuing master's and PhD degrees in 5G and Beyond technologies at universities within the scope of 5G Valley will be supported by operators under this program, Sayan said, “Through this, the goal is to integrate talented youth into the electronic communications sector with competitive salaries and to contribute to our country in areas such as patents, R&D, and product development. In a sense, we can view this program as a complement to the 5G Valley Open Test Field in terms of human resources. We thank İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, Middle East Technical University, and Hacettepe University for putting their hands under the stone in raising the generations that will carry Turkey to the future.”
Expressing that the program also creates a necessity for universities to renew, step outside the usual, and say new things, Sayan said, “I would like to reiterate that we have full confidence in our 3 universities on this matter. We also thank our operators Türk Telekom, Vodafone, and Turkcell for their dedication, collaborative approaches in the Memorandum of Understanding efforts, and their understanding that prioritizes long-term benefits by providing financial and professional support to students and assisting in thesis and research topics. We believe that the students trained in this program will make significant contributions to both our operators and the growth and development of the sector. I once again thank all parties who did not withhold their contributions in this process. I wish the 5G and Beyond Joint Graduate Support Program to be a blessing for our country, and I greet you all with respect,” concluding his speech.
Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, Galip Zerey, also attended the program. Emphasizing that 5G and Beyond has been a topic discussed for many years, Zerey said, “We started our journey with 3G. We continued with 4.5G. Now we are continuing with 5G, which is also planned for commercial use. There is a great opportunity in 5G, and some studies are ongoing. There is a great job opportunity in this field. We have students who settle into these departments with very high scores. We need to benefit from their talents.”
The program concluded with the signing of the “5G and Beyond Joint Graduate Support Program Memorandum of Understanding.”