Türk Telekom-ASELSAN cooperation started for domestic smartphones and communication devices

Türk Telekom and ASELSAN initiated a comprehensive cooperation to increase Türkiye’s domestic production capacity in communication technologies. The study, which covers the development of hardware and software to be used in domestic smartphones, user devices and communication infrastructures, was shaped with the aim of reducing foreign dependency in the field of technology and strengthening the domestic ecosystem. Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Turkish World Business Council were also among the stakeholders in the cooperation.

At the meeting held with the participation of Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin, ASELSAN CEO Ahmet Akyol, ATO President Gürsel Baran and Turkish World Business Council President Aydın Erkoç, the road map of the domestic and national communication device project was discussed. At the meeting, while the main headings of the joint working model were determined, it was reported that the first concrete preparations for the implementation of the project were initiated. The collaboration aims to create a broader technology development basis that is not limited to device production alone, but also includes software, hardware, network infrastructure and commercialization processes.

A common road map has been determined for domestic devices and communication infrastructure.

Türk Telekom brings together its infrastructure power and R&D experience in the field of telecommunications with ASELSAN’s engineering experience in the defense industry and critical communication systems. In this context, a common model will be worked on for the development of software and hardware components to be used in communication equipment, as well as domestic smartphones and user devices. The scope of the project is established with a structure that will allow the products developed in Türkiye to be evaluated not only in the domestic market, but also in regional and international markets in the following stages.

Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin stated that they see the cooperation as linked to Türkiye’s digitalization and localization goals. According to Şahin, developing communication devices with domestic resources is at the center of the company’s digital transformation approach. Emphasizing that Türk Telekom is not positioned only as an operator providing connection services, Şahin stated that the company has a structure that develops technology, produces patents and designs products for the future of the communication infrastructure.

Şahin said that domestic and national communication device production is one of the critical topics for Türkiye to reach a stronger position in global technology competition. Referring to the digitalization and localization vision put forward by the Presidency, Şahin stated that the cooperation established with ASELSAN will contribute to these goals. Stating that the domestic device project has a feasible road map with the cooperation, Şahin noted that the first concrete steps have been taken in this process.

Giving examples of Türk Telekom’s technology development capacity, Şahin reminded that the company’s subsidiaries Argela and Netsia have more than 70 international patents in the field of advanced technologies. Evaluating this patent portfolio as one of the indicators of the company’s innovation power, Şahin stated that Türk Telekom not only responds to domestic needs in communication technologies, but also develops solutions that can be used on a global scale. According to the information provided by Şahin, some products developed by the company are actively used in different countries.

Referring to Türk Telekom’s collaborations with international technology companies, Şahin said that the synchronization product developed with Net Insight has been commercialized. In addition, he stated that Open RAN solutions, RIC and SEBA products are used both within Türk Telekom and in different geographies. These examples show that the company’s investments in software-based and flexible architectures on the network technologies side are evaluated on the same basis as its goal of developing domestic devices.

On the ASELSAN side, the secure communication and digital sovereignty aspects of the cooperation are highlighted. ASELSAN CEO Ahmet Akyol stated that communication technologies have a central place in the company’s founding philosophy. Akyol stated that ASELSAN’s first field of activity is communication, and that domestic production of military communication devices has been among the main objectives since its establishment. Stating that more than 1 million communication systems have been produced and put into use in the field to date, Akyol said that it is also valuable to transfer this knowledge to civilian communication technologies.

Akyol cited the JEMUS and KETUM projects developed for the Police and Gendarmerie organizations as examples of ASELSAN’s experience in establishing critical communication infrastructure. Stating that secure communication infrastructures have been established throughout Türkiye with these projects, Akyol said that communication systems cannot be considered only as a technical element, but have also become one of the basic capabilities in terms of security. Stating that the recent conflicts in the world have made the role of communication infrastructures and devices in the field more visible, Akyol emphasized that the concept of secure communication should be considered together with digital homeland security.

Stating that ASELSAN is a natural part of this ecosystem with its field experience in communication technologies, production capability and competence in establishing critical infrastructure, Akyol said that they will continue to support nationalization projects. According to Akyol, increasing domestic production capacity in strategic technology areas, especially communications, is important not only in terms of industrial policy but also in terms of security and sustainability. ASELSAN’s transfer of more than half a century of experience to such projects will also strengthen the information transfer between the defense industry and civilian technology fields.

This working model established between Türk Telekom and ASELSAN is meaningful in terms of placing the goal of domestic device and domestic communication infrastructure, which has been on the agenda in Türkiye for a long time, in a more concrete framework. While smartphones and user devices are among the most common technology products of daily life, the infrastructures to which these devices are connected have also gained a strategic character in terms of data security, network management and service continuity. For this reason, the collaboration aims not only to develop devices that will reach the end user, but also to support the communication layers in which these devices will operate with domestic capabilities.

The success of the project will depend on the extent to which Türk Telekom’s application experience in telecommunications infrastructure and ASELSAN’s engineering capacity in the field of secure communication systems can be transformed into joint products. The inclusion of Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Turkish World Business Council as stakeholders in the process indicates that the work can gain a broader ground on the side of industry, trade and regional cooperation. This structure requires inter-institutional coordination on different topics, from the production of domestic devices to the supply chain, from market access to international cooperation.

When the patent and product development experience emphasized in Türk Telekom’s statements is evaluated together with ASELSAN’s field experience in the field of communications, it is understood that the cooperation will be based on an R&D-oriented production approach. This approach aims to increase domestic contribution at the software and hardware level rather than bringing together ready-made components. While supply security, data security and sustainable maintenance capability are becoming increasingly important in communication technologies, strengthening the domestic ecosystem in these areas continues to be a central topic in Türkiye’s technology policies.

The work initiated by Türk Telekom and ASELSAN is therefore positioned with the aim of a much broader technology ecosystem than a single product project. The architecture to be determined for domestic smartphones, user devices and communication equipment may pave the way for solutions that can be adapted to different sectors in the future. How the process will progress will depend on the timetable in which the announced road map will be implemented in the product development, testing, certification, production and dissemination stages. Despite this, the messages given at the meeting show that the parties embraced the domestic communication device project at the institutional level and treated it as a long-term study that will expand Türkiye’s technology production capacity.