By Elias Hazou
WITH THE physical barriers between the two communities now being lifted, efforts are underway to improve telecommunications with the north.
On Wednesday the government authorised Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) to work with its counterpart in the breakaway regime. The political situation on the island has meant that, among other things, telecoms contact between the two communities on the island has been almost impossible.
Currently there are only 20 private phone exchanges allowing direct communication but CyTA has been encouraged to cooperate with its Turkish-Cypriot counterpart TELSEN and the United Nations to install more lines.
“This will take some time obviously,” said CyTA spokesman Paris Menelaou. “Everyone needs to work together on this.”
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, adding “392” contacts the north of Cyprus. This of course is an international call, but Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias yesterday said the government was working with Turkey’s telecommunication authorities to lower these call rates.
For as long as memory serves, there has been no direct telephone link with Turkey; the country is not even listed in CyTA’s phone directory. The telecoms network in the north is linked to that of Turkey’s.
As expected, mobile telephony could not be left out the loop, so CyTA has entered negotiations on a roaming agreement with Turkish providers TurkCell and TelSim. “Some technical issues need to be ironed out first,” said Menelaou. “So it may take from a few days to a couple of weeks to set things up.”
CyTA is in contact with TELSEN and Turkish mobile companies via the Foreign Ministry.
As far is electrical power supply was concerned, cooperation would for the time being be limited to minor undertakings.
Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) spokesman Costas Gavrielides explained that, on the one hand, the breakaway regime was self-sustained in power supply but on the other, any plans for providing power to the occupied coastal town of Famagusta must by definition be kept on hold until Greek Cypriots are allowed to resettle there.
Gavrielides said the EAC has been in periodic contact with its Turkish-Cypriot counterpart for some time and on occasion the two have worked together to repair faults in the power network in the occupied part of Nicosia.
As things stand, said Gavrielides, there was limited scope for cooperation in this area. However, EAC technicians have installed street lighting near the checkpoints springing up in Nicosia and other places.
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.
