Türk Telekom Group's mobile communication unit Avea joins the GSM Association Board with Hakam Kanafani

Avea will be represented by Hakam Kanafani, Türk Telekom Group CEO and Board Member of Avea, at the GSMA Board, which defines the road map of world’s mobile communication

Avea, the fastest growing GSM Company in Turkey, has been elected to the Board of the GSM Association (GSMA), the organization which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Türk Telekom Group’s mobile communication unit Avea will serve at the GSMA Board in 2013 and 2014, and will be represented by Hakam Kanafani, CEO of Türk Telekom Group and Board Member of Avea.

The GSMA Board has 26 representatives including 25 operator members, as well as the GSMA’s Director General, Anne Bouverot. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities

GSMA Wireless Intelligence research shows that the number of mobile subscribers reached 3.2 billion worldwide and total mobile connections globally stand at 6.8 billion including machine-to machine (M2M) communications.

After joining the GSMA Board, Türk Telekom Group, who owns 89.99% shares of Avea, has become the only company in the world being in the boards of directors of 3 different organizations, together with Samena Telecommunications Council and The European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) at the same time.

“Turkey proceeds swiftly to be the telecommunication hub in the region by using the opportunities that come from its unique geographic location and the end to end services created by Turkey’s young energetic population.  Avea is proud to contribute significantly to this endeavor with our noteworthy investments in both human resources and technology. Avea has excelled and gained significant credibility with smart-growth strategy and impressive results. 

We serve on the boards of directors of ETNO and SAMENA, now we will also have the privilege to represent Turkey on the GSMA Board.  I believe this is an indication of Turkey’s important role in the global telecommunication market worldwide. We are the leading telecommunication and convergence technology company in Turkey and the region.  

As a member of the GSMA Board, we will work closely with our colleagues to improve the sector and contribute in shaping the future of the world’s mobile communication industry” said Hakam Kanafani, CEO of Turk Telekom Group and Board Member of Avea.

Stating that they will work to contribute in defining the road map of the mobile communication world, Erkan Akdemir, CEO of Avea said ”We are proud to be a member of the Board of GSMA, the most influential decision-maker organization for the future of the world’s mobile communication industry. Avea is the youngest and most innovative operator in Turkey. Moreover, we are very pleased to be recognized and honored by GSMA with such a mission. In this organization which includes the world’s largest mobile operators, we believe that Avea will contribute to the improvement of the industry by creating a good synergy with the other operators’ representatives. This is an elating and important development also for Turkish GSM industry.” 

Starting his professional career at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Hakam Kanafani then was the CEO of Jawwal, Palestine’s first private mobile network. Kanafani was the Chief Business Development and Synergy Officer for Oger Telecom before being appointed as the CEO of Turk Telekom Group. He serves on the boards of Türk Telekom, and Türk Telekom Group’s broadband communications unit “TTNET” and mobile communications unit “AVEA”; and also as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Türk Telekom Group subsidiaries: Pantel International Group, Argela, AssisTT, Innova and Sebit.