New telecom operator to launch in March

TURKEY’S fourth mobile phone operator will start receiving subscribers as of March, the chairperson of the firm NETGSM, Adem Öcal announced yesterday.

“Compared to other mobile operators, we will make a difference with the close support we will provide for value-added services,” he said.

Öcal told Anadolu Agency (AA) that NETGSM offers fixed and virtual phone services and serves as an internet provider, noting that it obtained its communication infrastructure license from the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) in 2009.

NETGSM established its own mobile phone, or GSM, core network infrastructure with an agreement with Turkcell extending to virtual mobile network services, Öcal explained, highlighting that it was the first of its kind. He noted that with the company’s VoIP SMS subscribers approaching the 200,000 mark within the fixed telephone services (STH), it has had the privilege of rising to the sixth spot amongst its competitors providing similar services, placing NETGSM in a strong position in the mobile services market.

He stressed the company prioritizes the development of its software and hardware with research and development (R&D) projects supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), noting that the company has a highly talented workforce and its own data center in addition to experience and infrastructure in the electronics and hardware industry.

GSM frequencies are allocated by the International Telecommunication Union and are limited, Öcal said, “Thus, it is not possible to establish an unlimited number of mobile operators,” he added.

However, the increased need for mobility required that more operators be established, Öcal said, noting that the company owns its entire infrastructure.

“NETGSM, or mvno, uses the base stations that emit frequencies allocated for GSM, which is a scarce public resource, jointly with other mobile operators by leasing them,” he explained.

Öcal stated that the necessary applications have been submitted to the BTK and that subscriptions will be received electronically. He also touched on value-added systems that provide close support, explaining that these services can be defined as technological products, such as Machine-to-Machine Communication (M2M), the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile applications and control systems, that extend to all sectors and “make our lives easier and increase comfort.” “Therefore, we will respond quickly/flexibly to the communication infrastructures to be used in the application of these products,” he said. “We will prepare our subscribers for the future, especially in the use of M2M and IoT,” added Öcal.