Dubai, UAE, October 19, 2015: Turkcell, an integrated telecommunications and technology services provider based in Turkey, has joined the SAMENA Council. Turkcell ranks amongst the region's most advanced service providers with a global vision.
"Today’s information society requires a different model of development - a model that focuses on innovation, solves problems with locally-generated ideas, and encourages regional collaborations. At Turkcell, we place great emphasis on understanding this new, innovative landscape and creating locally, regionally and globally relevant solutions using cutting-edge technology. With our network investments, 5G R&D partnerships, and focus on connected homes and smart cities, we are among the players that define technologies of the future”, said Kaan Terzio?lu, CEO of Turkcell. “SAMENA Council brings together some of the most important players in our sector, providing a platform for successful exchange of ideas and know-how as well as promoting efficient dialogue between regulators and operators. We are happy to join this distinguished group, and we look forward to sharing our experience as an integrated communication and technology services company that serves almost 70 million customers in 9 countries.”
CEO of SAMENA Council, Bocar BA said that “Turkcell is amongst the most ambitious and futuristic telecom companies, with a visionary leadership. This decision to join SAMENA Council, which is the region's premier industry representative body for telecom operators and service providers, demonstrates that operators that can presently see through into and beyond the fifth-generation of our technological evolution, clearly understand the new roles that need to be assumed in the evolving business landscape. With Turkcell's active participation within the SAMENA Council's community, we hope to achieve new milestones in telecom operator representation, regionally, and contribute to the growth of private sector, worldwide." "We warmly welcome Turkcell and its CEO Kaan Terzio?lu in our community of leaders and thinkers", Bocar expressed.
Through this membership, Turkcell will be able to leverage SAMENA Council’s regional and international reach as well as advocacy support, expressing its corporate vision, addressing industry needs and contributing to the debate on business transformation challenges that demand closer communication among the operators of the SAMENA region.
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About Turkcell
Turkcell is an integrated communication and technology services player in Turkey. Turkcell Group has approximately 67.9 million mobile subscribers in nine countries and over 1.3 million fixed subscribers in Turkey as of June 30, 2015. Turkcell was one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSPA+. It has announced two new HSPA+ Technologies on its 3G network to meet rising data usage. Having successfully integrated 3C-HSDPA and DC-HSUPA Technologies, it became the first mobile operator in the world to enable peak speed of 63.3 Mbps downlink while also enabled an 11.5 Mbps uplink on a 3G network. Turkcell is the first telecom operator to offer households fiber broadband connection at speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps in Turkey. As of June 2015, Turkcell’s population coverage is at 99.85% in 2G and 92.06% in 3G. Turkcell Group reported a TRY3.1 billion (US$1.2 billion) revenue with total assets of TRY20.7 billion (US$7.7billion) as of June 30, 2015. It has been listed on the NYSE and the BIST since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr
About SAMENA
SAMENA Telecommunications Council is South Asia - Middle East - North Africa (SAMENA) region’s sole operator-driven industry association that represents telecommunications service providers from around the region, and beyond. SAMENA is a not-for-profit organization, with membership comprising leading regional and international communications technology companies. Headquartered in the UAE, SAMENA was founded in 2006, chaired by Dr. Nasser Marafih and led by Mr. Bocar A. BA. SAMENA collaborates with leading non-profit international organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Telecom Network Operators’ Association. With an expanding member portfolio, the Council is quickly securing strong footing in the region. SAMENA's current network consists of 25 countries from South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. However, organizations from countries of Asia Pacific, Europe and North America also form part of the SAMENA membership.