A ruling by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) in September 2009 requires the three mobile operators, Turkcell, Vodafone and Avea, to set their rates based on lira rather than credits, or kontör, by today. The three operators are expected to keep their promotions roughly the same, though consumers will now have a more transparent pricing scheme that will assist in comparing operator rates and controlling spending.
Shops selling mobile credit loading cards will now offer the same cards, but with TL-based denominations. Old cards based on the credit-based system will still work but will load TL instead of credits on to the line. Moreover, April 1 will also bring a more than 50 percent drop in interconnection rates, or the rates that operators pay to each other when their network is used by other operators. This new development will bring with it decreased call prices between operators for consumers and also increased competition in the market.
In an additional move by the BTK to make consumers’ mobile lives easier, consumers now only need to load TL 5 every three months to keep their lines active, rather than the previous TL 10 or more worth of credits needed.
