Türkiye on Wednesday stated pagers are hardly ever used within the nation, and there are not any associated dangers, a day after a near-simultaneous blast of such units throughout Lebanon wounded hundreds of individuals.
“With the widespread adoption of mobile phones, pagers are almost non-existent here (Türkiye). I can confidently say there is no risk regarding pagers in Türkiye,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu informed Anadolu Agency (AA).
Lebanese safety sources stated Israel’s intelligence company Mossad planted explosives contained in the pagers utilized by Hezbollah members months earlier than they exploded on Tuesday, killing 12 individuals and injuring practically 2,800 others, together with 200 in important situation.
The New York Times, citing unnamed officers, stated the pagers the Lebanese group ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan had been tampered with earlier than arriving in Lebanon.
Uraloğlu defined that sure organizations and teams desire utilizing pagers to keep away from monitoring cell communication units by particular applied sciences and techniques.
He talked about that that they had consulted cybersecurity specialists to know the units concerned in Lebanon detonations and the state of affairs extra clearly.
Uraloğlu elaborated on two doable eventualities.
“It is known that Hezbollah uses these devices. There is a possibility that Israel was aware of this and, during the replacement or upgrade process, rigged the devices with explosives, allowing them to be detonated simultaneously through signals,” he famous.
“Another possibility is that some signals caused the batteries to short-circuit and overheat, leading to the explosions. In the past, we’ve seen instances where phone batteries exploded in repair shops or pockets, but without fatal outcomes. Given this, the first scenario seems more likely.”
Uraloğlu additionally acknowledged the challenges in monitoring communication by way of radio waves, noting, “We have information that these devices are being used in Lebanon and parts of Syria by Hezbollah to avoid being tracked. The simultaneous detonation of so many devices, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to many, is a significant incident.”
Nationalizing applied sciences
He highlighted the significance of taking precautions towards comparable units and burdened the necessity for Türkiye to extend its native manufacturing to reinforce safety.
“The more we localize and nationalize our technologies, the more secure we will feel. We have made significant progress in producing both the software and hardware of these devices,” stated the minister.
“While no country produces 100% of a device, most are working toward producing the core components. In Türkiye, we also strive to achieve this, and once we do, we will be more secure.”
Amid latest reviews of potential breaches in Türkiye, Uraloğlu reassured the general public that there are not any important dangers associated to non-public information safety.
“There is an attempt to artificially create a concern. Our citizens should not worry,” he stated, emphasizing the sturdy measures in place to guard towards cyberattacks.
“We forestall over 400 cyberattacks day-after-day,” he stated, including that Türkiye is among the many prime 10 superior international locations in cybersecurity.
Still, he admitted that there’s nonetheless a lot to be accomplished. “We shouldn’t be concerned, but there is still plenty of work ahead,” stated Uraloğlu.
Development Road, high-speed practice tasks
Among others, Uraloğlu stated preparations for the landmark Development Road Project linking Iraq and Türkiye are of their closing stage, with the financing being mentioned.
“We are endeavoring to start (the project) in 2025,” he stated.
The Development Road is a vital commerce route mission linking Iraq and Türkiye with railways, roads, ports and cities.
That 745-mile (1,200-kilometer) railway and highways will join the Great Faw Port, aimed to be the biggest port within the Middle East.
With the Iraqi Silk Road, an alternate path to the Suez Canal is being created to facilitate quicker and extra environment friendly commerce.
Regarding Türksat 6A, Türkiye’s first homegrown communications satellite tv for pc, he stated it will be positioned in its everlasting orbit in October and shall be lively by the tip of this 12 months.
After efficiently passing all exams, Türksat 6A was launched from the U.S. state of Florida into area by Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket in July.
The satellite tv for pc is anticipated to extend satellite tv for pc protection of Türkiye to India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Uraloğlu additionally elaborated on plans for main transportation upgrades, together with a brand new super-high-speed practice and a freeway connecting Istanbul and Ankara.
The minister stated that the Ankara-Istanbul Super High-Speed Train is anticipated to journey at speeds of 350 kph (217.48 mph), decreasing journey time between the 2 cities to simply 80 minutes.
Construction is already underway, with completion focused for 2034, he added.
Uraloğlu supplied an replace on the high-speed practice mission between Ankara and the Aegean province of Izmir, which is about to be completed by early 2027.
Once accomplished, the mission will cut back journey time between the 2 cities to three.5 hours.
Looking forward, Türkiye can also be getting ready for the rollout of 5G.
Uraloğlu revealed plans to carry the 5G public sale subsequent 12 months, with the primary sign anticipated in January 2026.
Source: www.dailysabah.com