Turkish telecoms open up
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s telecoms watchdog has decided to open the local fixed-line telecoms market to competition, an official at the regulator told Reuters yesterday. Turk Telekom, controlled by Oger Telecom after a part-privatization, has already lost its monopoly over intercity and international calls, and this decision would break the monopoly on local calls as well. «Once the Telecom Board’s decision is approved by the cabinet, it will be put into effect,» the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. Turkish operators that already offer long-distance calls are expected to be interested in the new licenses, and foreigners may also move in. But the fixed-line market is not as dynamic as Turkey’s fast-growing and competitive mobile sector. Turk Telekom reported a 6 percent fall in revenues from home and office phones in the first quarter, while local call traffic fell 16 percent year-on-year, it said in May.
