ANKARA 

Türkiye’s sole satellite operator, Turksat, aims to become a global player in satellite services and beyond next year through activities like the expansion of the e-Government system to neighboring countries, the Turksat CEO told Anadolu.

Ahmet Hamdi Atalay stated that the firm focused on corporate transformation this year, carrying out infrastructure work to expand into other areas.

“We started working on an in-flight Internet connection (IFC) project, which will position us as a regional and then a global player,” he said. “We signed an IFC project deal with (Türkiye’s low-cost domestic airline) AJet, in which we developed our own proprietary software, which we will be rolling out next year on AJet aircraft in the first quarter.”

Atalay stated that Turksat’s satellite internet connection service for AJet was done in collaboration with TCI Aircraft Interiors, a Turkish Airlines subsidiary.

“Previously, there was no internet service in the ‘low-cost, regional’ airline segment, so ours will be a first,” he said. “We established an infrastructure to provide internet connectivity at higher speeds than other airlines—many value-added services can be provided through this service.”

Atalay mentioned that the Turksat 7A will replace the Turksat 3A in orbit, as the latter completed its 13th year in 2023 and is currently operating on extended life.

“We also have a rapidly growing need for capacity in the internet and live broadcasting sectors, so we are implementing the Turksat 7A project, which has higher capacity and more features—we will send the new satellite by 2030 at the latest,” he said.

Atalay stated that data has become the most valuable asset for all institutions and countries, with the global data volume doubling in the last two and a half years. He emphasized the need for data centers in Türkiye.

“As Turksat, we serve many institutions, producing and hosting different types of services—we began a few years ago to deliver on the rapid demand for data centers, and we are in the tender process now; we will probably finalize our tender in January,” he said.

“The data center we will establish in Golbasi (a municipality in Ankara) will have a very high storage capacity, and it will be eight times larger than Turksat’s current data storage capacity. It will also contain servers with high data processing capabilities, and we are in the final stages of creating this data center that will be vital in services like artificial intelligence (AI),” he added. “The construction will begin next year.”

Türkiye’s e-Government app to go global

Atalay stated that many public services in Türkiye have been digitalized and are accessible on the country’s e-Government Portal.

“Some 8,800 services are offered on e-Government, and around 4 billion operations have been made by citizens this year alone,” he said.

He noted that many services previously obtained from various public institutions can now be accessed through the e-Government portal, no matter the time or place.

“We developed a much more compact version of this with newer technology for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” he said. “We wish to sell this experience to allied countries—many are interested, too.”

He stated that next year will be important for Turksat, as the firm is set on bringing the e-Government experience to other countries. “Discussions are ongoing with our neighbor, Romania, and we are working closely with countries in our immediate vicinity,” he said.

He mentioned that the firm spent the entirety of this year working on preparing to reach beyond, as it is no longer “confined to Türkiye’s borders.”

“Until now, we mainly focused on domestic activities, and we reached a certain point—our goal for 2026 and beyond is to become a regional and then a global player in both satellite services and other service sectors,” he added.