Picture the scene: Ukraine in 2035 has become a hub of information technology innovation, with some of the sector’s leaders having their gleaming new headquarters located in the high-tech capital of Kyiv.
Seem far-fetched? Not to Burak Ersoy, newly appointed CEO of mobile communications provider life:). The leader of Turkcell’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Ukraine thinks the nation has all it needs to become a regional IT and telecommunications leader.
“Ukraine might give birth to national IT giants, which could become international leaders, making Ukraine the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe,” Ersoy, who was appointed in September as CEO, told the Kyiv Post. “From what I’ve seen during my first month in Ukraine, the country has huge human capital in terms of IT development.”
He came to Ukraine from within Turkcell’s corporate group, which owns Astelit – the company that owns the nation’s third-largest mobile operator life:). Based in Turkey, the company also has stakes in the region’s growing markets, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Georgia, through its subsidiary Fintur.
But Ersoy, who previously was Turkcell’s chief sales officer, thinks that the growth in Ukraine could surpass what the company hopes to see in other regional markets. That’s because Ukrainians, according to Ersoy, are more eager to consume new technologies and promote their own ideas.
There are a “number of new technologies ready to be implemented here,” he said. “Today more Ukrainians are online than ever before – 62 percent had Internet access in April 2015, compared to 59 percent a year earlier.”
Picture shows CEO of mobile communications provider life:) Burak Ersoy standing in his office.
In the near future, one of the biggest areas for growth could be the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP), which allows users to change providers without having to change their phone number.
“We’re highly targeted to using the window of opportunity that will open with MNP’s launch,” Ersoy said.
According to the local unit’s manager of regulatory affairs and strategy division Andrey Lebedev, Ukrainians can expect the introduction of MNP in the first half of next year.
“We want to negotiate an agreement with the other big Ukrainian telecom providers (Vodafone, formerly MTS, and Kyivstar) on giving subscribers the opportunity to change their telecom provider without changing their phone numbers,” Lebedev said. “I think this will happen in the first or second quarter of next year.”
Meanwhile, Ersoy expects to lure mobile phone users away from pre-paid services, which are still very popular in Ukraine, with subscriber identification requirements and contracts – the norm in Turkey and Europe.
“The telecoms operators of Turkey can offer a number of initiatives that are based on this (post-paid) principle,” Ersoy said.
Ersoy also says he’s sure he can apply knowledge he gleaned from Turkey’s rapidly expanding telecoms market to the Ukrainian one. “Technological growth and convergence, market regulation, the implementation of telecoms regulatory process, price control mechanisms – all these instruments of regulation are required in the Ukrainian market, and can help to make competition fairer and more predictable for all market players,” he said.
According to Ersoy, Turkcell was a major mover behind the successful introduction of such innovations in the Turkish market.
When it comes to personal management strategies – and perhaps surprisingly for a top executive in a telecoms company – Ersoy puts a lot of stock in good old-fashioned facetime. He puts that down to his previous work experience in sales.
“As a manager who spent half of my career in sales, I believe in the power of personal communication, as only by meeting people – by talking to them – can we promote our ideas further, build relations and achieve results.
“We have to talk to our partners, our teams, our clients. We shouldn’t sit in our offices and think that just our written ideas can get results.”
And while Ukraine faces challenges brought on by Russia’s war of aggression in the east of the country, including economic problems, Ersoy puts an optimistic spin on the situation. The EuroMaidan Revolution and Ukraine’s decisive shift to the West have made Ukrainians more open to change and innovation, he told the Kyiv Post.
“The economic challenges motivate everyone to become more innovative, differentiated and dedicated,” Ersoy said.
Kyiv Post staff writer Denys Krasnikov can be reached at [email protected]. The Kyiv Post’s IT coverage is sponsored by Looksery, Ciklum, Steltec Capital and SoftServe. The content is independent of the donors.
