Turkey stalling on telecoms deal for island-wide mobile coverage

THE CYPRUS Telecommunications Authority CyTA said yesterday Turkish providers TurkCell and Telsim were stalling over implementation of an agreement to allow island-wide coverage for Greek and Turkish Cypriot mobile phones.

CyTA spokesman Paris Menelaou told the Cyprus Mail the Turkish companies had signed a roaming agreement with CyTA and that all seemed to be going ahead as planned, with only minor technical issues remaining to be sorted out.

But, according to Menelaou, the two companies began stalling after the agreement was signed, saying they were waiting for the go-ahead from the Turkish government.

“We took all the necessary steps after May 1,” he said.

“Within two to three weeks we signed an agreement with the two companies, but from then all they keep telling us is that they are waiting for the go-ahead from the Turkish government.”

Menelaou brushed aside fears that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash could be affecting the two companies’ decision.

“Denktash has nothing to do with it because the agreement is between CyTA and two Turkish companies,” he said.

“But we are also curious as to why the Turkish government has still not opened its international communications to Cyprus. We opened ours, but they have not taken any steps to that direction. People cannot call Cyprus from Turkey.”

In May, the government authorised CyTA to work with its counterpart in the breakaway regime to establish telecommunications across the Green Line. The political situation on the island has meant that, among other things, telecoms contact between the two communities on the island had been almost impossible.

Currently there are only 20 private phone exchanges allowing direct communication, but CyTA has been encouraged to co-operate with its Turkish Cypriot counterpart TELSEN and the United Nations to install more lines.

Moreover, the government has instructed CyTA to operate an automatic phone service with the north via the network in mainland Turkey. By dialling the prefix 0090 callers will now be able to get through to Turkey, and adding 392 will get them to the north of Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.