3G mobile services hit Turkey

Turkey starts using the third-generation (3G) mobile systems today, and subscribers to Turkey's leading mobile operators, Turkcell, Avea and Vodafone, will be able to start using 3G services simply by sending an SMS message to their operator. 3G technology will increase the speed of Internet connections in Turkey tenfold, shortening the time to download a movie from seven-and-a-half hours to six-and-a-half minutes. 3G is a wireless industry term for a collection of international standards and technologies aimed at increasing efficiency and improving the performance of mobile wireless networks. Services offered by 3G technology include wide-area wireless voice telephone, video calls and wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Compared to 2G and 2.5G services, 3G allows the simultaneous use of speech and data services and higher data rates. Thus, 3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. In related news, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on holiday in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya, tested the new technology last evening with a video call to Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, broadcast live on TRT 1. During the video call, Erdogan praised the inauguration of the new 3G technology in Turkey, saying that thanks to it he would be able to make video calls with all Cabinet ministers. An official ceremony will take place in Ankara next week to mark the introduction of the 3G technology. During the ceremony, President Abdullah Gul will test the new technology with a video call to Erdogan.