Turkey’s Turkcell inks deal with Huawei to boost indigenous production, R&D works

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s leading mobile operator Turkcell has said it signed a deal with China’s Huawei to deepen 5G development operations, boost indigenous 4.5G production works and improve joint research and development activities. 

In a statement released on May 15, Turkcell said the two companies have decided to intensify their cooperation through this new deal, which was signed in China during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Beijing.
 
Turkish Transport, Maritime and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan attended the signature ceremony, the statement said. 

In 2015, Turkcell signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei on research into 5G technology. 

The two companies also plan to start trade on China’s yuan, according to the statement. 

Turkcell and Huawei, which have agreed on creating joint teams in Turkey to boost indigenous production, will also work together in standardization works for the “Internet of Things” and smart city projects, it said. 

Tian Feng, executive vice president at Huawei, said the company established its second largest R&D and software center in Turkey. 

“We will increase our investments in Turkey. Our deal with Turkcell has showed a deepening cooperation between us. As a key partner of Turkcell, we are ready to apply the latest technologies and R&D outputs in Turkey, including the 5G technologies and smart city operations, in a bid to make a bigger contribution both to the Turkish IT sector and economy,” he added.