Firm eyes share in big tablets project

General Mobile is interested in taking part in Turkey’s massive information technology project called FATIH to be launched in all schools across the country, bringing “smart classrooms” with high levels of technology, said the top executive of the company yesterday.

“We are ready for and we desire to take part in this project,” said Muzaffer Gölcü, general manager of the local unit of the New York-based company, at a press meeting in Istanbul.

Nearly 40,000 schools and 600,000 classes will be equipped with IT resources, including personal tablets, e-books and smart classrooms, bringing computerized education as part of Turkey’s Movement of Enhancing Opportunities and Improving Technology (FATIH).

“The project is more than giving out tablets and having smart equipment in classrooms,” Gölcü said, calling Turkish authorities to give the priority to firms currently producing information technology products in Turkey.

Discussing the company’s new tablet “e-tab,” launched Nov. 25 in Turkey, Gölcü said nearly 26 percent of the tablet’s production was carried out in Turkey. “We are aiming to double this share next year and increase to 70 to 80 percent in 2013,” he said.

General Mobile is currently having talks with Turkish battery producers and charger producers, he said, and he hopes these batteries can be used in their e-tabs.

“Even manufacturing 5 percent of a product in Turkey is better than importing all the components,” said Tayfun Acarer, the chairman of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

“We fully support the manufacturing of high-tech components and software in Turkey,” he said.