The Turkish electronics industry is comprised of about 2,000 manufacturing companies employing about 30,000 people. The sector began to develop rapidly during the second half of the 1980s and is currently a mature industry in the country. Total production value of the electronics industry reached $9.5 billion in 2007. The sector is divided into six sub-sectors comprising of telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, computers, defense industry, professional and industrial equipment, and components.
The consumer electronics sector is the largest sector of the industry comprising a 45% share of the total production of electronics. Turkey is the largest supplier of television sets to the EU and Turkish made color TVs have a good reputation among European consumers with respect to price and quality. Production of color TVs was 9.3 million units in 2008 with investments being made in new technologies with the shift toward LCD and plasma TVs.
Turkey’s telecommunication sector, the second largest in Europe, has great significance within the industry. Along with Turkish companies, there are many multinationals in the country which manufacture products for both the Turkish and world market. Turk Telecom (TT) is the main player in the telecommunication sector offering services in fixed line, mobile, data and cable TV to more than 20 million subscribers. Turkcell, Vodafone and Avea are the three main companies in mobile telecommunication services.
The Turkish telecommunication equipment industry, particularly in the context of telecommunication cables, is highly competitive in world markets with its technology, product quality and capacity.
For more information on Turkey’s electronics and telecommunications industry:
Istanbul Electrical, Electronics, Machinery and Information Technology Exporters Association
www.immib.org.tr