Another Big Step for 5G

Hosted by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, the "5G Valley Open Test Site Test Infrastructure Signing Ceremony and 5G and Beyond White Paper Launch" meetings were held as an important step in the way to 5G.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mehmet Cahit Turhan, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Members of the Board, ICTA Vice President Rıdvan Kahveci, and representatives from the sector attended the program which was held at Information and Communication Technologies Authority Headquarters.

"About 11 months ago, our operators, Turkcell, Türk Telekom and Vodafone, METU, Hacettepe and Bilkent Universities, have taken responsibility and signed our cooperation protocol for the 5G Valley," said Sayan, the Deputy Minister who expressed his happiness to take another step in 5G. On that day we came together as parties of 5G Valley with our vendor companies promising us support and sharing the happiness of the 5G Valley. The valuable companies showed that they are ready to provide support to the 5G Valley through their equipment and software. We thank each one individually."

"Our Companies Create Great Opportunities"

"Netaş's internet platform provides an excellent opportunity to develop services and applications specifically for the vertical sectors," said Sayan, who points out that unique opportunities will be offered to researchers and students working on these issues with systems that will attract valuable companies to the 5G Valley. On the other hand, one of the youngest and most promising companies of our country, our dearest ULAK Communication Inc. is placing the systems in 5G Valley which are  developed for the facilities and taking a very important role in the road of Turkey’s 5G with local and native technologies. Another indigenous hope is I2I systems, who will establish Vadicell, constitutes an important example for our students, academics and start-ups. Lastly, the support that Spark Measurement Technologies will give to the devotees is an opportunity that should not be missed for our researchers."

Underlining that companies that put their hands under the stone for 5G work have done an important job, Sayan said, "Now it is time for our companies to use these facilities that they have created great opportunities. That is to say it is time for us. That is to say it is time for you. I'm making an open call to the whole ecosystem. The 5G Valley will develop 5G, open to everyone who will go beyond. In the 5G Valley not only antennas and core networks will be developed. But also it is the place where intelligent farming, smart cities, health solutions, entertainment solutions and products are developed and touch every aspect of life. Our aim is to be able to develop products and services that can compete with the technology leaders in the world market."

"As being Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and ICTA, the policymaking and regulatory institutions of our country, we started working in order to be one of the leading countries at technology in the world." said Sayan, "We are carrying on our work for the 5GTR Forum with the aim of making Turkey one of the first countries to start using the 5G mobile communication systems with the highest possible locality and nativity rates. The second important step to take today will be with the ‘5G and Beyond White Paper’, prepared with the contributions of our entire ecosystem in the 5GTR Forum. 5G and beyond in the White Paper that will carry Turkey to the road map was created. 5GTR Forum members wrote to the White Paper that what Turkey has to prioritize, what has been done about locality and nativity and what can be done from now on. The White Paper, prepared in 4 working groups of the 5GTR Forum, is the result of long and hard studies. In these meetings, our colleagues who brainstormed about the paragraphs and sentences of the paper were actually thinking about Turkey’s priorities. We are proud to lead White Paper as Information and Communication Technologies Authority that emerged as the counterpart of all this effort".

We are prepared to develop the technology with the guidance of the White Paper, the ecosystem created by the 5GTR Forum and the opportunities offered by the 5G Valley.

Minister Turhan: We must be one of the countries that determine the 5G standards.

Mehmet Cahit Turhan, who emphasized that the program is an important step to guide the future of our country, "We are trying to get our place among the leading countries in every sector about the issues determined by our President. For this, our government has taken many steps. In 16 years, the communication infrastructure was not just something that it related with, and it began to provide lots of services in this field. For every technology, we can not bring it to the the citizens unless high infrastructure is used. We must bring to life all these advanced infrastructures without delay. For this, we have to solve the problems of the industry. In the first stage of the commercial usage of 5G, a network setup was made that would also constitute the infrastructure of 5G. With the projects like ULAK, we aimed to establish an infrastructure in rural areas in a universal sense. We plan to increase this rate over time. We should set the standarts of 5G and speed up the R&D studies and become one of the leader countries.” 

After the speeches, the signing ceremony was held where all parties came together.  Also, presentations about 5G works are presented in program.