Telecoms & IT

The telecoms sector in Turkey has long been viewed as a rising star, with a young, digitally adept population and rising personal incomes driving demand in the mobile voice and data segments. In recent years, the industry has been affected by macroeconomic issues, including a weaker lira, as well as some restrictive regulatory changes. Even so, Turks spent more than TL35.5bn (€12.5bn) on telecoms in 2014, up from TL32.2bn (€11.34bn) in 2013, according to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority. Turkey’s IT sector is benefitting from the rapid, widespread development of internet services, infrastructure investment and e-commerce activity. Internet growth is being driven by fibre-optic expansion, increased adoption of 3G mobile internet and planned nationwide 4G network services that will require significant investment from the public and private sectors. Internet speeds are increasing and Turks are embracing the latest offerings in record numbers. Infrastructure investment by domestic and foreign firms is on the rise, buoyed by demand from a young and tech-savvy population, and all signs suggest that the telecoms and IT sectors are poised for expansion in 2015 and beyond.

This chapter contains an interview with Mehmet Nalbantoğlu, CEO, KoçSistem.