
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that within the scope of Universal Service Projects, 3 settlements have been provided with mobile technologies and 521 settlements with fixed wireless access technology. Minister Uraloğlu said, “A total of 2 settlements have been provided with electronic communication services. Our work to provide services to 44 more settlements with mobile technologies continues.”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that they provide internet services to settlements that are not obliged to provide service by operators, by covering all costs. Minister Uraloğlu said, “We provide mobile voice and broadband internet services with 4.5G technology, especially to our citizens living in rural areas, by covering all costs. We express these works as Universal Service Projects.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that the studies regarding universal service in our country are carried out based on the 'Universal Service Law' numbered 5369 and the 'Regulation on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Collection of Universal Service Income and Expenditure' and said the following:
“In our country, there is no obligation for operators to provide commercial electronic communication services to rural settlements that are difficult to reach due to geographical conditions and have higher infrastructure installation costs. Our Ministry ensures that electronic communication services are provided to these settlements within the framework of the provisions of the Universal Service Law No. 5369, with all infrastructure installation and operation costs covered by public resources.”
Minister Uraloğlu underlined that in prioritizing the settlements; permanent settlement, nearby settlements that can be covered and population are taken into consideration and continued his speech as follows:
“Within the scope of the Universal Service Part-3 project, 2G and 4.5G mobile communication services are provided, and the work is carried out over the settlement area. Requests regarding coverage can be sent to us directly, through the consumer complaint system or through other institutions.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that drive-test coverage measurements were conducted to determine whether there was a communication opportunity in the settlement where the service would be provided, and that the status of other base stations in the vicinity was examined. Uraloğlu added that settlements with a population between 50 and 1000 people, those not covered by mobile operators, and those not obliged to provide coverage by mobile operators could be included in universal service projects.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that it was decided that the studies regarding universal service would be carried out by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) within the scope of the amendment made to Law No. 11.03.2021 published in the Official Gazette dated 5369, and continued his words as follows:
“The additional fourth paragraph of Article 7 of the Law includes the provision that ‘Upon the request of the Ministry, the Institution is authorized to determine the universal service obligor and their obligations directly or according to the methods listed in the fifth paragraph of this article according to the requirements of the work, to calculate the net cost of the universal service, to make all kinds of payments to be made to the universal service obligors, to pay from the institution’s budget when necessary and to audit them.’ In this context, the studies are carried out within the framework of the protocols signed with the operators under the coordination of BTK.”
Minister Uraloğlu noted that within the scope of Universal Service Projects, to date; within the scope of 3 projects, 3521 settlements have been served with mobile technologies, and within the scope of the WiMax project, 2044 settlements have been served with fixed wireless access technology.
Summarizing the services provided within the scope of the project, Minister Uraloğlu provided the following information:
“The maintenance and operation of the sites established within the scope of the Section 1-2 project and providing 2G and 728G services to 2 settlements and the establishment and maintenance of the site providing 4.5G and 3G services to approximately 2 settlements within the scope of the Section 4.5 project are provided by TÜRKSAT. The maintenance and operation of the sites providing fixed telephone and internet services to 2044 settlements established within the scope of the WiMax project and the operation of the core network of the sites providing 2G and 3G services established within the scope of the Section 2-4.5 project are carried out by Türk Telekom. The core network operation of the sites established within the scope of the Section 1 project is carried out by Turkcell.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that 2024G and 59G mobile communication services will be provided to 229 settlements in 2 provinces in 4.5, and said, “Within the scope of the Part-3 project; 2023G and 73G mobile communication services will be provided to 504 new settlements in 2 provinces in 4.5, and 1G mobile communication services will be provided to 2 settlements where 151G communication service was provided within the scope of Part-4,5.”
Minister Uraloğlu noted that within the scope of the Section 1, 2 and 3 projects, 3G and 521G mobile communication services were provided to a total of 2 settlements, and within the scope of the WiMax project, fixed telephone and internet services were provided to 4.5 settlements.
Minister Uraloğlu, drawing attention to the fact that electronic communication services are provided to a total of 5 settlements within the scope of Universal Service projects, said, “We plan to provide 565G and 2025G mobile communication services to an additional 233 settlements by the end of 2. Thus, the number of settlements we provide service to with Universal Service Projects will reach 4.5.”