As Türkiye prepares for the historic transition to 5G starting on April 1, 2026, a massive strategic restructuring has taken place at the most critical bastion of the country's communication infrastructure. ULAK Haberleşme A.Ş., the architect of domestic and national base stations, completely renewed its board of directors during its Ordinary General Assembly held on March 25. With the decisions made, top executives from the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), and Türk Telekom came together under the same roof. This handover demonstrates that 5G infrastructure is now being treated not merely as a commercial communication matter but directly as a matter of national security and digital sovereignty.
Full independence in communication technologies is as vital today as border security. Following the tender held on October 16, 2025, Türkiye is preparing to broadcast its first domestic 5G signal on April 1, 2026, and roll out the system across the country within two years. On the eve of this massive technological leap, ULAK Haberleşme, the primary manufacturer of domestic network hardware, has fortified its management cadre with a National Unity of Power.
Examining the company's new management, it is clear that public authority, the defence industry, and the civilian telecommunications ecosystem have come together at a single table in perfect synchronisation.
The New Board of Directors at ULAK: Who Has Taken the Helm?
Following the General Assembly and Board of Directors meetings, the names and institutions that will chart ULAK's new course were officially announced. Mustafa Murat Şeker, Deputy Head of Systems and Platforms at the Presidency of Defence Industries, took over as Chairman of the Board of Directors, while ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol was appointed as Vice Chairman.
The other members of the board consist of the following critical figures steering Türkiye's digital infrastructure:
- Ebubekir Sahin: CEO of Türk Telekom
- Dr. Mehmet Akif Nacar: CEO of HAVELSAN
- Beytullah Kuşçu: Deputy President of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK)
- Ahmet Bahadır Bülbül: Head of the Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Department at SSB
- Tufan Atiktürk: Chief Internal Auditor at ASELSAN
From Civilian Communication to National Security
Why are senior executives from ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, and particularly the Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems department on the board of a communication and base station company? The answer lies in the nature of 5G technology.
5G is not merely a technology that increases internet speed on mobile phones. This system is a massive Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem where autonomous vehicles (such as Togg), smart cities, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and critical infrastructure facilities communicate with each other. Building such an infrastructure with foreign-origin hardware would mean the country's entire data being leaked and the entire nation being paralysed in a potential cyberattack.
Therefore, the state is positioning ULAK not just as a civilian technology company but as the guardian of the cyber homeland. The electronic warfare and encrypted communication experience of the defence industry giants, Türk Telekom's vast civilian field network, and BTK's regulatory power are converging under the ULAK umbrella. Thus, an unbreakable national communication shield, completely closed to external interference from hardware to software, is being built.
The Foundation for the Path to 6G
This strategic handover, following the solid foundations laid during the tenure of Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, is taking ULAK Haberleşme towards a much more integrated and aggressive production vision. The coordination between institutions reaching its peak before the 5G journey begins on April 1 will significantly accelerate the testing, acceptance, and field deployment processes of domestic base stations.
Furthermore, this immense engineering intelligence brought together by defence and telecom giants will not be limited to 5G alone. With this accumulated expertise, the company will already lead the research and development (R&D) efforts for 6G technologies. Ultimately, Türkiye is breaking the hegemony of foreign giants (Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, etc.) in communication infrastructure, declaring its digital sovereignty in line with the National Technology Move vision.
