Ultimate Ict Network in Turkey For Smart Cities

Abstract

A smart city is a place where the traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), for the benefit of its citizens. This paper provides an overview of ultimate ICT network built in Turkish cities. It also makes comparison of telecommunication status and infrastructure between Turkish cities by thematic maps using Geographic Information System (GIS) in order to visualize the ultimate ICT network for paving the way for smart cities. The paper begins with smart city concept and focus on best practices in the world. The next part gives some statistics on Turkey's internet, mobile phone and social media usage. Then using the latest statistics, Turkish cities are compared according to some indicators such as the number of 3G, xDSL, mobile broadband and fiber subscribers, the length of fiber cable infrastructure. After making national analyses, some smart city initiatives and some governmental pilot projects on smart cities are explained to review the current situation for paving the way for smart cities in Turkey. The chapter concludes with some challenges and future options in city level.