Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan attended the 5th Digital Agenda event themed “Telecom Operators During and After the Pandemic Process.”
The event, broadcast live on Türksat's promotion and YouTube channels, was attended by Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, Türksat General Manager Cenk Şen, and the top executives of Türk Telekom, Turkcell, and Vodafone.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Sayan pointed out that the pandemic ongoing worldwide since the beginning of the year has caused everything expected in the telecom sector over the next 2-3 years to happen rapidly, and stated that the process went well in Turkey thanks to the good infrastructure.
Emphasizing that needs will multiply in the upcoming period, Sayan said, "Almost every aspect of our lives has changed in this process. During the days when the coronavirus pandemic is raging at full speed and people are spending a significant portion of their time at home for social isolation purposes, just like in the rest of the world, the electronic communications sector and the postal sector have emerged as the most important areas supporting other sectors in our country. As the ministry, since the first case was seen in our country, we have taken all necessary measures to ensure that services continue uninterrupted in the areas we are responsible for. The electronic communications sector covers almost every field you can think of, such as education, finance, banking, health. Traffic in this sector increased significantly not only in our country but also in many parts of the world during the pandemic period, and regulatory authorities took new measures on this matter."
Stating that operators are one of the most important pillars in this process, Sayan noted that as the ministry, they ensured coordination with operators regarding the measures to be taken by conducting the necessary risk assessments from the moment the Covid-19 process started in Turkey.
Deputy Minister Sayan: All Our Operators Supported the Free Communication Campaigns
Reminding that citizens experienced education, work, entertainment, and social life intensively over the internet during this process, Sayan added: "When comparing only the data from the last three months, fixed broadband usage increased by approximately 20% compared to the previous period, while mobile data usage also increased to a lesser extent. We are pleased that no disruptions occurred in this process thanks to the measures we took and our real-time monitoring. During the pandemic period, all our operators supported remote education applications and free communication campaigns for healthcare workers."
Providing information about the support campaigns carried out by the operators, Sayan stated that they also supported the "Hayat Eve Sığar" mobile application, and that the Hayat Eve Sığar application, prepared with the support of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) and the three GSM operators, was launched within the scope of these efforts and offered to citizens' service.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Removal of Free Internet Quotas is Among the Plans
Deputy Minister Sayan said, "Despite the pandemic significantly increasing voice and internet traffic since March 1, thank God, no capacity issues were experienced in any of our operators. As I mentioned earlier, our operators not only contributed digitally during the pandemic process but also signed successful projects and educational initiatives."
Stating that many services became free during the pandemic period, Sayan said that as life begins to normalize, the usage processes of electronic communication services are also slowly returning to the pre-Covid-19 period.
Sayan announced that determining the periods of reports made by operators in this context, gradually starting them, and removing free internet quotas are among the plans.
Deputy Minister Sayan: No Capacity Problem Originating from Infrastructure Occurred
Sayan explained that no capacity problem originating from the infrastructure occurred thanks to conducting risk assessments regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, taking necessary measures in coordination with operators in a timely manner, monitoring the communication infrastructure in real-time, and taking quick action when necessary.
Reminding that many measures were taken worldwide during the pandemic process, Sayan shared the following information regarding the studies carried out in Turkey: "The regulation regarding subscription in electronic media, which passed through the TBMM Plan and Budget Commission yesterday, which all our citizens and operators have been waiting for a long time and which we could not take quick steps due to the need for a law amendment, will hopefully pass the Parliament agenda next week, and I want to give the good news that the way will be opened for our citizens to subscribe electronically."
Drawing attention to the importance of producing domestic and national products, Sayan pointed out that the pandemic process has increased countries' protectionist policies. Sayan stated that they will continue to carry out the necessary studies on this matter.
Sayan also gave the good news that 5G will enter trial service at Istanbul Airport with the joint work of the 3 operators.