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Future of 5G Discussed in Istanbul

TKC | April 5, 2018

Future of 5G Discussed in Istanbul

5G technology was discussed at the Technology Summit organized by Turkcell (NYSE: TKC) (BIST:TCELL), with the attendance of more than 2500 business partners. The participants of the summit included major global and Turkish actors of the communication and telecommunication industry. The opening speeches of the summit were given by Kaan Terzioglu (Turkcell CEO), Gediz Sezgin (Turkcell Chief Network Officer ), Galip Zerey (Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications), Taha Urey (Member of the Radio & Television Supervisory Board), Dr. Chaesub Lee (Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standards Office) and Axel Clauberg (Board Chairman of Telecom Infra Project and Assistant General Manager of Deutsche Telekom). At the summit, Turkey was recognized as having the best infrastructure for transition to 5G thanks to its well-organized 4.5G infrastructure.

‘5G is the basis of the Industry 4.0 transformation’

Turkcell CEO Kaan Terzioglu says that 5G is not just a communication technology and noted: “5G should be considered as the basis of the digitalization of automotive, agriculture and health industries as well as Industry 4.0 transformation. Therefore, it is important that actors from all industries participate in 5G development efforts. Through long-term collaborations, we think that early adoption of locally-developed 5G services will trigger a boost not only in technology but also in national economy. Turkcell's strategy in building the 4.5G network included the facilitation of transition to 5G. Our current network is a high-end network offering the best speed and quality of mobile services. There are 7 operators in the world which can offer a speed exceeding 1Gbps and Turkcell is one of them.”

‘We offer the best speeds supported by devices’

Gediz Sezgin, host of the summit and Turkcell’s Chief Network Officer (CNO), told that Turkcell is a leading global operator with many innovations in 5G and continued: “With 5G, we will offer 10 times the current speed. We will also ensure low levels of communication delays. The delays will be minimum 20 times lower than today. Operations which require instant decision-making in case of emergencies will be possible. Devices connected to the network will be used efficiently. 5G network will allow connection of 1 million devices per square kilometer. 5G will change all industries from education to health and transportation. Ways of doing business will change. Last year, we performed the first and fastest 5G tests in Turkey. We achieved record speeds with approximately 71 Gbps. As of today, we can say that we are using 5G. Because we reach the best speed supported by today's devices. During the tests in Mardin last week, we achieved 1.05 Gbps. This speed will increase as terminals which support better speeds are available. We are now waiting for better terminals to be launched.”

‘Fiber infrastructure is important for 5G’

Galip Zerey, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, said that the commercial use of 5G is expected in 2020 and Turkey will be one of the first countries to use 5G technology with the international standards currently specified. Zerey mentioned that they are in collaboration with the operators to develop Turkey's 5G infrastructure and stressed on the importance of the fiber infrastructure for 5G.

‘5G will not be developed in a single day’

Dr. Chaesub Lee, Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standards Office, said that the transition to 5G will not be completed in a single day and continued: “These efforts are in progress for a long time and at this point, we are actually using 5G. USA is aggressive and 5 networks use this technology. So are China and Japan. Here is an example from Korea. Korea Telecom announced and performed initial 5G tests. It was used in the latest winter Olympics. They did not just modify 4.5G systems but also installed new systems. It was not just in stadiums, it covered 100-km areas; and they are pretty good. They are now waiting for the standards to be defined. I see that Turkey is progressing in this direction and I am glad that the transition will happen in 2020.”

‘We are in a brand-new age of Internet’

Dr. Axel Clauberg, Board Chairman of Telecom Infra Project, said: “Devices we use today remind me of Stone Age tools. This is not the 1980s’ internet any more. We are in a brand new age of internet. 5G started with limits but will gain speed in 2020. With a focus on costs, operators should change their ways of doing business. This will allow more data to be offered to the subscribers. Telecom Infra Project has 500 members including Turkcell. 80 percent of these members are there to learn about the ways of doing business of leading internet companies.”

5G technology was discussed by experts in detail

At the second session, current 5G technologies were discussed by Prof. Umit Ozguner (President of Transportation Research Center (TRC) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Ohio State University Researcher), Prof. Huseyin Arslan (Medipol University Engineering Faculty Dean and Chairman of ULAK Communication Board) and Javan Erfanian (Next-Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) 5G Board Member and Bell Mobility (Canada) Technology Board Member). The session was on the importance of smart vehicles, fleets and autonomous devices which will be available through smart transport systems and 5G as well as the relevant needs and requirements.

At the panel moderated by Turkcell Elif Yenihan Kaya Turkcell Access Network Capabilities Director and titled “5G Innovation Opportunities”, panelists included Ramazan Yilmaz (Information Technologies and Communication Board (BTK) Technical Regulations Office Director), Dr. Metin Balci (General Manager of ULAK Haberlesme A.S.), Serdar Bayar (ASELSAN Technology Transfer Manager), Riza Durucasugil (NETAS Innovation & R&D Strategies Director) and Veli Murat Celik (Communication Technologies Segment (HTK) Board Director). The speeches were on 5G's possible contributions to the Turkish economy.

At the final session titled “5G Technologies for Digital Transformation”, the speakers were Zhu Huimin (Huawei 5G Marketing Director), Ahmed Ijaz (Ericsson Senior Radio Access Network Consultant), Dr. Wonil Roh (Samsung Asst. General Manager) and George Tsirtsis (Qualcomm Senior Technology Director). They talked about the effects of 5G on daily life.