First Turkish GSM station to be operational in April

BARCELONA (AA) – Turkey’s first cell tower system for GSM networks will begin to provide service in April, the vice director general of the system’s main developer ASELSAN, Yavuz Bayiz said on Thursday.

The new station for cellphone networks, called ULAK, boasts 750 signed orders, the vice director general of ASELSAN, which generally produces electronic defense systems for the Turkish army.

“Due to the fast development of technology, secure communications have started to have a strategic importance. With ULAK, our communications system will be more secure,” Bayiz told Anadolu Agency on the last of the four-day World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.

The first cell tower system, due to be operational in April, will be located in northeastern Rize province.

Bayiz said 1,799 ULAK units would be set up in mostly rural areas in order to upgrade from 2G to 4.5G, developed by the largest Turkish GSM operator Turkcell.

The ULAK tower system was developed in cooperation with Turkish telecommunications company NETAS and service provider ARGELA under the supervision of the Defense Industry Undersecratariat.