Microsoft to establish local tablet laboratory in Turkey

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Turkish government plans to replace traditional blackboards and textbooks in schools with electronic boards and tablet PCs as a part of the Fatih project DHA photo

Keen to be involved in Fatih, Turkey’s tablet education project, Microsoft is working on establishing the first education research and development laboratory in Turkey, the general manager of Microsoft Turkey has said.

“Within Fatih, we’re working on establishing the first research and development laboratory in Turkey,” Microsoft Turkey General Manager Tamer Özmen said on March 31 in the Turkish province of Bursa, at the Uludağ Economy Summit held in the city.

The Turkish government plans to replace traditional blackboards and textbooks in schools with electronic boards and tablet PCs as a part of the Fatih project and global tech giants including Apple and Microsoft have shown an eagerness to take part.

15 million tablets

One of the government’s key conditions for selecting a bidder is that the production of the tablets should be in Turkey and the producer company should establish a research and development center within Turkey’s borders. The government is also looking to give impetus to local research and development projects through the project.

Özmen did not specify the details of the facility, but it seems Microsoft is working to meet Turkey’s condition for the projects, in which the government will purchase approximately 15 million tablets.