Menteş, speaking to the Anatolia news agency on Wednesday, stated that influenced by the recession, the global information technology sector did not see significant growth in 2009. The sector’s market size grew from only 2.36 trillion euros in 2008 to 2.49 trillion euros last year, he noted. The communications sector accounts for 60 percent of the market, Menteş said, and added that the coverage area of mobile devices continues to expand, which has a positive impact on the information technology sector.
Despite a sector-wide employment drop due to the recession, major layoffs were not seen in the sector last year, Menteş stated. The Turkish information technology sector grew by some 10 percent in 2009, increasing its market size to 21 billion, he said, adding that communications technologies account for 75 percent of the sector in Turkey. “Considering [that it has] 27 million Internet users and more than 6 million people with access to a broadband connection, Turkey is still an important market for the development of technology,” Menteş said.
According to Menteş, the growth of mobile communications gained significant momentum with the 3G system, even though its introduction to the Turkish market came very late compared to other developed countries. “Other sectors, such as broadcasters, also started to take advantage of the system. I expect Turkey to complete its adoption of the 3G system faster than many countries,” he added.
Sector representatives found the opportunity to introduce new technologies last year, Menteş said, predicting that the Turkish information technology sector will enjoy a growth of nearly 30 percent this year. 2010 will also see more investments in information technology by the public sector, he stated, stressing that the 2023 target for the sector should be to have top service provider and software developer firms operating in the Balkans, Central Asia and the Middle East.
