Dr. Aykut currently serves as Director of Programs and Public Policy at the SAMENA Telecommunications Council. With over 40 years of cross-functional experience in telecom policy, regulatory strategy, international relations, R&D leadership, and network operations, he has held influential roles across the global ICT landscape.
He was a member of the GSMA Executive Management Committee, Board Observer, and contributor to Public Policy Committees between 2004 and 2019..
Since 2005, Dr. Aykut has actively contributed to regulatory and standardization efforts in collaboration with ETSI, IEEE, and ITU, and worked closely with national authorities, regulatory agencies, and planning institutions across Türkiye and neighboring regions.
He previously held senior leadership positions at Alcatel (Germany), Ericsson (Sweden), and Turkcell (Türkiye), where he led a 200+ person R&D organization and served as a board-level advisor on emerging technologies such as 5G, AI/ML-driven automation, and non-terrestrial networks.
Academically, Dr. Aykut holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering, an MSc in Computer Science, and a PhD in Informatics. From 2021 to 2023, he was an Assistant Professor at Galata University. He is also the author of 'What is Left till 2040', a forward-looking publication on emerging technologies and innovation trajectories.More...