The era in which we now live is called the era of technology. Even military or economic powers are not shaped by how much money and soldiers you have, but by what technologies you use in these areas. In the late 1990s, when this era was just beginning, as cell phones became more and more common. ASELSAN, one of the most important institutions of our country, ASELSAN produced a model cell phone called 1919.

ASELSAN 1919 was not only produced, but also: as used by the president and MIT members It was also exported to many different countries. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet the new models of this mobile phone, which makes Turkey’s name belong to the countries producing mobile phones in the world because it did not get support. Come, our one hundred percent domestic mobile phone To the story of the ASELSAN 1919 model Let’s take a closer look at that.

Interesting information about ASELSAN 1919:

The first 100% domestic mobile phone produced by ASELSAN engineers:

In 1993, the first mobile phone operator in our country became operational. ASELSAN predicts that mobile phones will become more widespread. By establishing an engineering team of 80 people in 1994, started working on domestic mobile phones. At the end of a 3-year study for which about $5 million was spent, the team of engineers presented our country’s first domestically produced mobile phone, the ASELSAN 1919 model, to the Turkish people.

The ASELSAN 1919 model is named after Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun:

ASELSAN 1919 mobile phone was not just a simple technology production. In the days when only a few brands were mentioned, such as Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola If the Turks made such a breakthrough, It meant printing our country’s name as one of the 9 countries in the world producing mobile phones. In other words, the Republic of Turkey was waging a technological battle against the world. Just as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed in Samsun on May 19, 1919 and threw the first spark of the War of Independence, so ASELSAN engineers also threw the first spark of the technological breakthrough in our country.

All ringtones consisted of native melodies:

The biggest signature to put on the ASELSAN 1919 mobile phone model, which is 100 percent produced in Turkey, is, of course, ring tones. ASELSAN bought the 1919 model and if you look at the default ringtones You met the March of the Mountain with Smoke, the Ceylan National Anthem, the song Going to Üsküdar, the Harbiye March and the Izmir March. In addition, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mozart’s Turkish March were among the ringtones, as it was a model to be presented to the world.

The first export took place to friendly countries:

ASELSAN 1919 produced 500 units for the first time. Many state officials, especially then-President Suleyman Demirel and members of MIT, used our domestic cell phones. Of course, ASELSAN 1919 was produced not only for use in our country. Some of the first models produced Exported to Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. ASELSAN 1919, tested in Denmark and approved in England, was exported to more than five thousand countries in the same year.

It was one of the lightest phones of its time:

It’s 1997, cell phones are pretty heavy and big. However, ASELSAN 1919 was not like that. The ASELSAN 1919 model was 12.9 cm long, 4.7 cm wide and 2.5 cm thick. Most important, the weight was only 185 grams. This weight made ASELSAN 1919 one of the lightest telephones of the period. The battery capacity of ASELSAN 1919, which came with two batteries, one of which was spare, was 500 mAh. It had 2.5 hours standby, 40 hours talk time.

ASELSAN 1919 had a sale price of 8.5 million Turkish lira. Model with 2 year warranty; When it broke down in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara 15 minutes, when it fails in other provinces one day repair guarantee was giving. Perhaps one of the most important features of the ASELSAN 1919 model was that it could be charged to 100% in just 1 hour.

ASELSAN 1919 had unique features for its period:

• ASELSAN 1919 had a large phone book where you can store up to 315 names and numbers connected to the SIM card.
• Since it is compatible with GSM operators operating in many different countries of the world, it can be used almost anywhere in the world.
• Thanks to the call forwarding feature, calls were forwarded to the registered number when it was closed or busy.
• He could text and receive.
• It had the caller’s number on it.
• The cost of the sent message or call was displayed on the screen.
• By making a list of the numbers that can be called, you could prevent other calls with a password.
• It came with a large package of accessories that made it easy to use.
• It had a special technology that prevented eavesdropping.
• He trembled when he got a message and played it.

ASELSAN 1920 and 1923 models were also studied:

The ASELSAN 1919 model was highly appreciated both in our country and in the world. ASELSAN engineers immediately they started work on the new models of the series, 1920 and 1923. One of the Nokia engineers joined the team of engineers working on new models in the same year. For some reason, one after another patent lawsuits have been filed against ASELSAN by international companies over models that have not yet been released after this participation. These lawsuits were won by international companies.

ASELSAN 1919 and other models were dry before turning green:

In fact, ASELSAN 1920 and 1923 models were also produced. However, KVK, a branch of Çukurova Holding, which at the time was an important factor in the telephone sales and distribution market, spread all over the country. It felt it appropriate to distribute Nokia models, not ASELSAN models. Unfortunately, ASELSAN, which is not a private company but a state institution, did not receive any additional support at the time. Eventually, both production and development stopped.

It is the first 100% domestic mobile phone model produced in our country. Interesting information about ASELSAN 1919 And we talked about his story. One cannot help but think; If our domestic mobile phone production continued without slowing down, could we have a phone called ASELSAN Pro Max at an affordable price with our forgotten domestic operating system Pardus? You can share your thoughts in the comments.