By Jeyhun Aliyev
ANKARA (AA) - Two Turkish telecommunication giants hosted 120 global counterparts from 40 countries in Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Turk Telekom International (TTI) and Turkcell Superonline hosted the International Operators Customer Event between Oct. 1-3 with an effort to make Turkey a regional data hub and telecommunications center.
The event hosted almost 300 managers of global telecommunication companies from Europe, Asia and the U.S.
"We took another big step towards making our country being a data hub in the region," the TTI Chairman Mehmet Toros said.
TTI continues its efforts in line with the strategy of making Turkey an "intercontinental communication bridge", he asserted.
The summit aimed to show the opportunities and the current state of Turkey’s telecommunications industry on the international stage.
Toros said TTI focuses on constant improvement of its infrastructure with domestic and foreign investments.
Stating that TTI operates in 17 countries worldwide, he added: "We will never stop working to tie Turkey to the future."
The event will inspire the sector, he said.
Turk Telekom International -- fully owned by Turk Telekom -- provides single account management and unified network operations over the entire Turk Telekom International network, which includes 19 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Middle East, and the Caucasus.
Murat Erkan, Turkcell’s deputy chair, said his firm informed the global telecommunication giants about its digital transformation and the solutions based on customer need.
Noting that Turkcell is world's first digital operator, Erkan emphasized the role of indigenous software in its success.
"The company is taking important steps to spread the value produced in Turkey to the world," he said.
Turkcell Superonline -- a member of the Turkcell Group -- has 35,000 kilometers of fiber covering 77 major cities in Turkey, and cooperates with over 70 international operators, according to its website.