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Turkcell opts for NeuStar to deliver IM (Turkey)

  • July 10th, 2008
  • 2:38 pm

Turkish mobile operator Turkcell has chosen clearinghouse and directory services provider NeuStar to launch the Windows Live Messenger mobile instant messaging service to its over 35.1 million mobile subscribers.

Turkcell has been providing its own-community mobile IM service called Turkcell Messenger, powered by NeuStar’s Instant Messaging Service Centre. Now it will use NeuStar’s Mobile Messaging Gateway service to bring Windows Live Messenger to its subscribers.

Customers will be able to login, get instant access to their buddy lists and presence information, and access the functionality of Windows Live Messenger directly on their mobile phones.

   

 

 

Turkcell Brings Windows Live Messenger to Mobile Users in Turkey with NeuStar’s Mobile IM Service

  • July 9th, 2008
  • 2:28 pm

NeuStar, Inc.  today announced that it has partnered with Turkcell, the third largest mobile network operator in Europe, to launch the Windows Live Messenger mobile instant messaging (IM) service to Turkcell’s 35.1 million mobile subscribers.
A longtime NeuStar customer, Turkcell is now using NeuStar’s powerful Mobile Messaging Gateway (MMG) solution to bring Windows Live Messenger to its subscribers. Turkcell has been and will continue to offer its own-community mobile IM service (Turkcell Messenger), which is powered by NeuStar’s Instant Messaging Service Centre (IMSC).

With a simple login function and instant access to their buddy lists and presence information, Turkcell subscribers will be able to experience all the functionality of Windows Live Messenger on their mobile phones. The same familiar experience is available whether they are sitting at a PC or using their mobiles.

Burak Ertas, head of the Consumer Services Division at Turkcell, said: “At Turkcell, we like to bring the widest choice of services to our subscribers. Our business relationship with NeuStar has enabled us to offer two complementary mobile IM services. NeuStar built a close working relationship with our team from day one, and that has helped to shape our service. We are delighted to have partnered with NeuStar again to launch Windows Live Messenger, which gives our users further mobile IM choices.”

Allen Scott, general manager of NeuStar NGM, added: “Turkcell’s customers have roundly embraced the new opportunities for communication that IM brings to the mobile phone. Having worked on the original Turkcell Messenger service, NeuStar is pleased to have been responsible for the deployment of Windows Live Messenger, giving Turkcell’s subscribers further choice. As Turkcell strengthens its position as Turkey’s leading mobile communications provider and continues to innovate in this field, we have no doubts that mobile IM will prove to be increasingly important for them.”

   

 

GSM-K ups network investment

  • April 30th, 2008
  • 2:41 pm

Kazakhstan’s largest cellular operator by subscribers says it plans to invest USD264 million this year, up from USD223 million in 2007, as it pushes ahead with the expansion of its network. GSM Kazakhstan (GSM-K), which offers services under the K-Cell brand, is set to install 310 new base stations by the end of the year, Interfax reports. GSM-K is 49%-owned by Kazakhtelecom and the remainder is held by Fintur Holding, a venture between Turkcell and TeliaSonera. The cellco had just over six million subscribers and a 54% share of the Kazakh mobile market at the end of 2007.

   

 

Turkcell to bid for Belarus mobile operator (Turkey)

  • April 11th, 2008
  • 11:18 am

Turkey’s leading mobile phone operator Turkcell TCELL.IS said on Friday it has decided to bid for state-owned Belarussian mobile operator BeST as it seeks to expand its reach in the region.

“Our company has decided to begin works to make a bid to shareholders to buy a majority stake in Belarussian Telecommunication Network (BeST),” Turkcell said in a statement.

Last year Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said the government was ready to cede control of BeST for around $500 million.

In October, Belarus agreed to sell control of the country’s No. 2 mobile phone operator MDC, operating under the Velcom brand, to Telekom Austria for $1 billion.

Turkcell’s major shareholders are Nordic telecommunications company TeliaSonera AB, Russian private equity firm Altimo and unlisted Turkish conglomerate Cukurova.

Turkcell already has interests in mobile phone operations in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Georgia and has repeatedly said it wants to expand in the regions around Turkey.

   

Zain interested in Turkish 3G licence (Turkey)

  • March 31st, 2008
  • 1:38 pm

The Kuwaiti telecoms group Zain says it is interested in acquiring a 3G mobile licence in Turkey when they are reoffered by the government. Three UMTS concessions were put up for sale last year but they attracted just one bid, from the country’s largest mobile operator, Turkcell. The government cancelled the sale, saying there was insufficient competition for the process to be legal. Zain’s chief executive Saad Al Barrak recently met with Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the opportunity.

   

 

Turkcell files Irancell suit (Turkey)

  • January 16th, 2008
  • 8:02 am

The Turkish mobile operator Turkcell has filed an arbitration lawsuit against the government of Iran for allegedly blocking its acquisition of a stake in Iranian mobile operator Irancell. A consortium led by Turkcell was approved as the winning bidder in a tender to take a 51% stake in the newly created national mobile licensee Irancell in February 2004, but the deal with Turkcell ran into difficulty, with conservative Iranian politicians unhappy with the involvement of a Turkish firm in one of the country’s main communications networks. Turkcell had been seeking a majority stake in Irancell but the government pushed through legislation in April 2005 to limit its stake to 49%; the cellco says it then faced a number of other blocking tactics and it was left with little choice but to walk away from the deal. MTN of South Africa took its place in the consortium in October 2005 and Irancell has gone on to take second place in the country’s mobile market, with 3.72 million subscribers at the end of September 2007.

   

Turkcell considers purchase of 51% of Syriatel (Turkey)

  • December 11th, 2007
  • 2:32 pm

Turkish mobile operator Turkcell’s board of directors has decided to conduct the necessary studies to submit a proposal to purchase at least 51 percent of the total shares of Syriatel Mobile Telecom. The purchase will enable Turkcell to perform the present management, execution and operation activities of Syriatel. Turkcell has been actively looking for expansion opportunities outside its home market. Syriatel is market leader with around 2.3 million customers.

   

Azercell offers free GPRS to post-paid users (Azerbaijan)

  • September 25th, 2007
  • 3:20 pm

Azercell, Azerbaijan’s dominant cellco by subscribers, has announced that all subscribers taking a post-paid package will get 5MB of free GPRS data traffic at the start of every billing cycle from now until 5 January 2008. Unused entitlement cannot be carried forward. Azercell was established on 19 January 1996 by Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Telecommunications. The company launched services on 15 December 1996. It had 2.6 million subscribers at the end of June 2007, an approximate 75% market share.

   

 

Turkcell 3G licence award cancelled (Turkey)

  • September 20th, 2007
  • 1:09 pm

Turkey has cancelled the award of a 3G licence to mobile operator Turkcell after the auction failed to attract more than one bidder. Turkcell had bid EUR 321 million for the UMTS licence. Rival operators Avea and Vodafone refused to participate in the auction last week, saying they want the country to first implement number porting before starting 3G. This could delay a new auction until late 2008.

   

Turkcell’s 3G licence award suspended (Turkey)

  • September 19th, 2007
  • 3:30 pm

The 3G mobile licence won last week by the country’s largest wireless operator, Turkcell, has been cancelled by the telecoms regulator. According to a report from Reuters, the licence award has been annulled by the Telecommunications Board because of the lack of competition in the 3G auction; Turkcell was the only firm to place a bid, agreeing to pay EUR321 million (USD445 million) for a concession. Turkey’s other two mobile operators, Vodafone and Avea, plus France Telecom’s Orange unit all requested tender conditions but did not bid. Turkcell has still to comment on the decision to suspend its licence, while the regulator says preparations are already under way for a new auction.