Despite the fact that artificial intelligence and robotic process automation (RPA) are widely used in today’s digital world, their effectiveness is restricted in the absence of robust mobile technologies. According to Turkcell’s Deputy General Manager for Information and Communication Technologies Serkan Ozturk, “When next generation mobile technologies and location-independent mobile technologies are deployed, the quantity and area of service consumption will expand extremely rapidly.” he added.
It all began in 2000 for Serkan Ozturk, head of Turkcell’s Information and Communication Technologies division and one of the country’s most well-established GSM service providers. Since joining Turkcell, “the world’s first digital operator,” he has been responsible for a wide range of responsibilities, from customer experience to business analytics. Digital transformation relies heavily on Serkan Ozturk’s experience in information and communication technology. Serkan Ozturk and I had a long discussion on the digital age’s technology requirements, which intensified with the pandemic, as well as Turkcell’s 2022 business plan…
A lot of work was put in by the IT department during the protracted Covid-19 epidemic, no question. Of course, working from home became popular. If a crisis might happen at any moment and from anyone, how did you handle it?
As a result of the widespread effect of the COVID-19 epidemic, fundamental changes have occurred in nearly every area, from health to education, transportation to communication. Many elements of our lives are changing at a rapid pace, including social interactions, health and education, new technology, and corporate practices. This is unparalleled in human history. As a result, those of us who manage information and communication technology have enormous obligations. Many industries and businesses have been caught off guard by the digitization process at this time. As a result, corporate operations were interrupted, working from home presented adaption challenges, and several industries were unable to provide adequate service to their clients. Successful digitally transformed organizations that swiftly adapted to the new reality will be better positioned to survive and thrive in it.
Due to our powerful infrastructure and active people resources that can handle mobile speeds of 1.6 Gbps and fixed side speeds of 10 Gbps, my job has gotten simpler during the pandemic as a Turkcell technology manager. In addition to our regular responsibilities, we kept a careful eye on client behavior throughout the epidemic period to see how it changed. To meet evolving user preferences, we supplied proactive, creative solutions by properly handling incoming requests. My colleagues and I will work together as a team to handle our growing workload while taking use of our company’s excellent technological assistance.
Can you tell a little bit about how the advancements in automation and digitalization affected you?
Turkcell was the first digital operator in the world when it launched years ago. Our latest generation data centers in Turkey satisfy international standards, and assist both individuals and corporations keep up with the digital world of today and the future, in addition to providing digital products and services. Naturally, in order to achieve this objective, we place a high value on the agility, dynamism, autonomy, and technical future proof of our own development and operation platforms.
With new digitalization technologies always evolving, we’ve begun to employ them heavily to keep up with demand, especially during epidemics, and to give speedy answers to any difficulties that may arise. New technologies like augmented reality (AR) are helping us go in this direction. New services have been created by our team of programmers and designers. Because of this, our service’s interactive remote assistance tool, dubbed AURA (Augmented Reality Remote Assistance), is now capable of connecting to any field through the web, mobile device, or augmented reality glasses with voice and video. Even our corporate clients that use our data center are able to handle and monitor their emergency needs remotely and in real time thanks to our efforts.
On the other hand, we provided the highest quality service at the lowest cost using the map-based apps we created utilizing geographic information systems. Based on the application’s results, we devised a strategy for network expansion.
The application of digitization in crisis scenarios, on the other hand, is a critical one. We can efficiently coordinate, direct, and share information in catastrophe scenarios thanks to the mobile applications we have built.
After the pandemic, how did the telecommunications industry’s role change? When it comes to technology, what can we expect to change? Is it going to influence Turkcell’s future financial investments?
Post-pandemic communications will have the greatest influence on people’s and organizations’ abilities to shift quickly. Radical and quick changes are occurring in nearly every facet of life, from communication to health to education to transportation, and this trend will continue to accelerate in the coming years. As a result, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and RPA will have a greater impact on many aspects of our daily life. Furthermore, this shift will occur in a matter of years rather than the five to ten years that had previously been predicted.
Concepts like data processing and technology utilization will be more prominent in the future. We will not only see technological advancements in this new era, but also a shift in the way businesses and organizations regard human values. This phase of the process will be people-focused, during which the company will develop a stronger sense of empathy with its customers. Customers’ worldviews and sensitivities will be taken into account more throughout the company’s operations. It’s because the pandemic has made the value of treating others with dignity and consideration for the environment and nature more apparent. We will remain innovative and forward-thinking as long as we keep our approach focused on our consumers and on using technology for their advantage.
Our infrastructure investments and inventive work for new generation technologies will continue as Turkcell plays a pioneering role in Turkey’s technical and digital transformation path. Artificial intelligence, robotics, Industry 4.0, the internet of things, big data, smart technologies, cyber security, and cloud computing will all see increased investment in the coming years.
The blockchain is another area where you must put in effort. This has become a highly popular subject in recent times. Do you have any plans for Blockchain as well?
As a result, we’re always experimenting with new technologies to better serve our clients. We’re always introducing new blockchain-based solutions to the ones we already have. So, for example, we secure user identify information when confirmation of identity is necessary using our “Digital Identity Management Solution.” The data used to identify a person may be securely transferred to other institutions thanks to our blockchain-based product, which offers a solution in circumstances when confirmation of identification is necessary owing to legal responsibilities through non-face-to-face channels like websites and call centers. Individuals and organizations alike are connected securely in this way.
To guarantee that foreign use charges may be made through end-to-end transmission without the need for a middleman, we also conduct research on the topic. It is much easier and safer to determine the fees to be paid back and forth between nation operators with this system in place, and any unlawful attempts will be caught early on. Reconciliation and control are less necessary when intermediate businesses and procedures are streamlined, and fraud detection is also achievable.
This is only the beginning of Turkcell’s development with blockchain technology. Turkcell also participates actively in international organizations in this sector, working on solutions based on blockchain technology for secure worldwide digital payment, clearing and settlement systems, IoT applications, and other related services. We’re actively involved in blockchain working groups that comprise telecom operators from across the world, all under the GSMA umbrella. The solutions we have created in several fields will be implemented to promote the growth of our institutions. Our main objective is to help Turkey undergo a digital revolution and play a leading role in the region.
We’d want to know what you have planned for 2022. The pandemic’s effects may still be felt today. Have you changed your future plans?
Turkcell, Turkey’s biggest communications technology business, had its development spurt because to digitization, which gained speed throughout the pandemic. As a result, we’re working hard to create a robust digital infrastructure across Turkey, while also creating new and creative goods and services. Cloud, cyber security, internet of things, big data, business solutions, system integration, and artificial intelligence solutions will continue to be areas in which we deliver end-to-end value-added services in the next years.
However, as you may be aware, we are a business with interests in both vertical and telecommunications fields. One of these is called “Techfin,” and it brings together sustainable energy and technology with finance. We plan to broaden the scope of the cutting-edge solutions we’ve created in these fields.
With the right planning and strategic emphasis areas, we want to keep on providing our clients with the high-quality service they’ve come to expect from us, while also maintaining our position as a pioneer in technology.

All business processes are managed from a single place with Ultia
Ultia is a platform you’ve put in place. What type of platform-based solution do you have for large corporations? Do you have a strategy in place to sell the solutions and products you’ve created to other businesses? To put it another way, will Turkcell be a supplier of technology to other firms as well?
We’ve made it easier for companies to digitize business operations by utilizing the new Ultia platform, which maximizes the use of available resources. The Ultia platform, designed by Turkcell engineers for corporate purposes, makes it simple and user-friendly for businesses of all sizes to handle all of their business activities from a one location. Ultia makes it easy for organizations to manage all of their business operations from a one location, without having to write any code or use any other apps or platforms. Using the Ultia platform, medium and large businesses may easily build their own corporate apps using pre-built modules. Ultia’s cloud-based architecture eliminates digitalized enterprises’ server and other operational computing expenditures, resulting in considerable savings for such firms.
In order to make IT management easier, Ultia created a help desk within the platform that can handle anything from customer complaints to asset management to recruiting to personnel issues to CV management to leave requests to purchase requests and everything in between. The Ultia application includes a variety of features that may be handled via the web and mobile applications. These features include surveys, announcements, frequently asked questions, a self-service portal, SLAs, and many more.
We continue to offer creative solutions in the meanwhile, as you indicated, so that the Turkish economy can remain competitive in an increasingly digital world. When it comes to digital transformations, we support both private and public sector organizations through our Turkcell Digital Business Services firm. Turkcell Digital Business Services develops end-to-end solutions with added value by combining information technology services with telecommunications services, and provides market solutions with the use of strategic partnerships.
To get the most out of AI and RPA, you’ll need a solid mobile technological foundation.
Artificial intelligence and robotics are expected to reduce the human component in manufacturing and services throughout time. So, what function do you think future communication technologies will play?
In reality, solutions like artificial intelligence and robotic process automation are still applicable today within the scope of digitalization. These applications, however, are restricted due to the lack of supporting mobile technologies. It’s certain that the quantity and scope of mobile services will expand dramatically as new mobile technologies emerge and these services may be made available no matter where you are. Autonomous driving will not have artificial intelligence built into the car; instead, all of the vehicle’s autonomous driving features will operate on the cloud. Data may be sent from the car to the cloud and choices made there can be returned to the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion thanks to new generation mobile technology. Instead of using discrete AIs, such an architecture would allow a single AI to manage all traffic.