The introductory meeting of Global Telecom and Integrated Technologies Inc. (GTENT) was held. GTENT was established by gathering 10 companies in the Communication Technologies Cluster (HTK) in Ankara OSTIM and it is the leading company of Turkey 5G infrastructure.
GTENT Chairman Ilyas Kayaduman, GTENT Board Member and HTK Chairman Ilhan Bagoren and GTENT Board Member Guneri Durmis attended the introductory meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Kayaduman said that they are in constant talks with all of the operators in Turkey and that they are continuing their efforts to make Turkey one of the fastest integrated countries with 5G.
Target is 60% market share
Stating that there are four product groups for the transition to 5G technology, Kayaduman said, “These are New Radio (Antenna), BBU, Core Network and Radio Link. As GTENT, we are the only company active in all of them. There are domestic companies that do some of these separately, but our three operators operating in Turkey state that it will be much easier for them to supply all products from a single company. For this reason, we see ourselves far ahead in terms of competition. Because as GTENT, we have focused on 5G for years within HTK and our activities continue in this field. We are a 100% domestic and national company. We know that foreign players also want to be very active in this field. However, we think that the 45% domestic rate of 4.5G will continue in 5G. For this reason, we set our targets according to 60% market share.”
“The size of Turkey’s 5G infrastructure will be $10 billion in 2025”
Stating that the size of Turkey’s 5G infrastructure is expected to be $10 billion by 2025, Kayaduman said, “Our country supports and encourages us in this regard. However, the domestic market is not enough for neither Turkey nor us. For this reason, we have set our target as a regional and global market in a shorter time than the medium term. We aim to get a 15% share from the regional market and 5% from the global market, which is expected to be $80 billion annually. Thus, we will be a global brand. Just as South Korea has supported certain industries to create world brands, we feel the support of our government behind us. There is no reason for us not to be Turkey’s Kia or Samsung in 5G.”
There will be a unicorn in the short future
Stating that they have made a valuation for Ernst & Young, Kayaduman said, “The reporting of this will reach us in the coming months. There are many domestic and foreign companies that are interested in us. However, we do not want to sit at the table without seeing what we ourselves are. However, I can easily say that we are a company established by bringing together 10 companies in SME scale. If you think of us as a startup, we will be a unicorn in the very short future.”
“Turkey should not miss the 5G train”
Stating that HTK was established with the mission of increasing the local share of the investments of mobile operators, GTENT Board Member and HTK Chairman Ilhan Bagoren said:
“The local share of the HTK, which was 0.98% during its establishment in 2017, has increased to around 20% today. We expect this to rise to the level of 45%. One of the projects carried out by HTK was the TUBITAK project called ‘End-to-End Domestic and National 5G Communication Network’ (UUYM5G), in which 16 HTK companies and 3 mobile operators work together to develop suitable products for 5G infrastructure. In this project, the products were developed in cooperation with manufacturers, mostly SMEs. The project was finished last month. We used ₺110 million out of ₺200 million support. GTENT was also established during this period. GTENT’s first goal was to present the products to be produced from the UUYM5G project to domestic and global customers. Today, GTENT offers the existing products of both its partners and other HTK companies to global markets and continues to work rapidly in line with the target.”
Stating that Turkey’s 5G cannot tolerate being late in the transition, GTENT Board Member Guneri Durmis said, “We should not miss the 5G train. If we miss it, we will not be able to take this train again and we will be consumers, not producers. Turkey will not choose to be a spectator while being a playmaker.”
Source: Hurriyet / Translated by Irem Yildiz