Phone Networks In Turkey

Currently Turk Telekom is the only company that provides fixed line telephone service in Turkey. Service for landlines in the country remains underdeveloped due in large part to a lack of fixed line networks. The good news is that if you are in an area that Turk Telekom services, you can expect many useful features such as digital voice mail, broadband internet connectivity, videophone and a variety of prepaid calling cards you can use to bill calls made away from home to your home phone bill. Turk Telekom also offers a wide range of web based services including email hosting, domain hosting and data storage and backup. However, due to the lack of infrastructure landlines are not the favored form of telecommunications in the country.

By contrast, cell phones are the most popular means of communication in Turkey. There are several reliable cellular phone service providers in the country offering all the services and functionality you would expect from a cellular phone including call waiting, voice mail, text messaging and online connectivity. The company that has the best coverage map in the country is Turkcell, providing coverage across the country with the exception of a few remote and mountainous areas in the eastern region of the country.

Avea has the next best coverage area of the cellular providers in the country providing extensive coverage across most of Turkey. Telsim is the second largest cellular provider in Turkey, but has the worst coverage of the major providers. It is a reliable service if you are in cities or towns with a population of 10,000 people or more but tends to be unreliable in towns with small populations and in rural areas. In addition to the traditional cellular options, there are a number of alternate methods in use as well. There are companies such as Cellular Abroad who offer international phone rentals if you are not a resident of the country. Using your own GSM mobile phone in conjunction with a prepaid SIM card is also very popular and convenient.

International and even local tariffs can be costly. It is a good idea to use pre-paid international calling cards if calling out of the country from your home phone. These cards are easily obtained in any shopping district or tourist area. If you want to receive calls in Turkey, the country code used to reach Turkey from outside of the country is 90. To make a call out of the country you must first dial the international prefix 00.