President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Türkiye has become one of the only 11 countries that can produce its own communications satellite.

“With TURKSAT 6A, which we developed using 84 domestic components with a localisation rate of over 80 percent, Türkiye has risen to become one of only 11 countries capable of producing its own communications satellite,” Erdogan said on Monday.

Speaking at the TURKSAT 6A commissioning ceremony in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said that with the launch of TURKSAT 6A, population coverage worldwide by Turkish satellites will increase from 3.5 billion to five billion.

Erdogan said that with TURKSAT 6A, which will serve for at least 15 years, the number of communications satellites operated by TURKSAT has increased to six, and the total number of Türkiye’s satellites in space has reached 10.

He added that the new geostationary communications satellite will provide wide coverage for services such as television broadcasting as well as emergency communications.

"When we look at developments worldwide, we see that a historic window of opportunity is opening up for Türkiye. We are very close to attaining the place we rightfully deserve in the global system," he said.

"We have gained a national and indigenous communications satellite platform through this revolutionary project."