While 347,649 cellphones were produced in Turkey in 2013, this figure increased by 208 percent last year and reached nearly 1,071,888 devices produced, said Communications Minister Lütfi Elvan. Speaking to an Anadolu Agency reporter, Elvan said that while 14,779,353 cellphones were imported in 2013, this figure fell to 14,695,332 last year according to a report prepared by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority. Highlighting the fact that the number of cellphones that passengers brought from outside Turkey also decreased, Elvan said that while 1,088,000 cellphones were purchased abroad in 2013, this figure fell to 612,913 in 2014.
Emphasizing the fact that Turks are among the most frequent users of mobile phone technology, Elvan said that the increase in the number of domestically-produced cellphones is heartening. In addition to stressing that Turkey has a young and dynamic population, Elvan said, "Turks are following technology products closely. More and more people prefer smartphones, since they have the features of a computer and can connect to the Internet. Producing these devices domestically, which attracts the attention and interest of Turks, has a huge importance in terms of increasing the technology-based production capacity and developing the Turkish economy." Although the increase in the number of domestically-produced cellphones is a significant development, it is still not sufficient when compared to the number of imported phones, said Elvan. "Domestic demand should be met by developing devices that can compete with the products of the leading companies in this field," he added.
Meanwhile, Vestel, Turkcell and Vodafone are expected to place three million domestically-produced 4G cellphones on the market in 2015. Last month, Finance Minister Nihat Zeybekci held a press conference to announce 117 compensatory levies for 54 product groups and precautions for 13 other product groups. Zeybekci stressed that the content of exports is crucial, and importing consumption goods that can also be produced in Turkey causes the biggest damage to the Turkish economy. Therefore, the ministry will strive to protect and boost local production by decreasing the import of goods that are produced or may be produced in Turkey, such as electrical home appliances, hand tools, mobile phones, tablets and PCs, which is expected to increase the sales of domestic cellphones.
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