The cost of communication has doubled in just one year. According to statistics, communication services are among those with the highest price increases, Kibris Postasi reports.
Internet and mobile phone bills have become very expensive, and even landline charges have gone up.
President of the Service Providers Association, Kemal Basat, told Kibris Postasi that it’s rare to have a day in the country without something ironic or tragic happening.
Basat explained that all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in NorthCyprus need to get bulk internet and fibre optic services exclusively through the KKTC Telecommunications Department.
He emphasised that every provider in the country sets their fees and bulk internet prices based on the rules and rates determined by the KKTC Telecommunications Department. He noted that all costs set by the department are published openly on the mahkemeler.net website and in the official gazette.
Recently, one of the members of the Service Providers Association accidentally discovered during a visit to one of these digital platforms that KKTC Telecom had updated its prices. Upon further investigation, it was found that the increase was 100%, implemented quietly without informing or consulting any providers, and it took effect this August.
According to information from the Telecommunications Department, the reason for the price hike is that Turkey’s Türk Telekom, which supplies bulk internet to KKTC Telecom, also raised its prices by 100%.
Mobile phone call charges have more than doubled in a year. Compared to the previous month, mobile call charges saw an increase of up to 32%. The situation is the same for landlines. The cost per minute for landline-to-landline calls is now 0.16 kuruş, and for calls from landlines to mobile phones, it’s 0.32 kuruş. Calls from landlines to Turkish landlines or mobile phones are also 0.32 kuruş per minute.
It was also noted that VAT will be added to all call charges.
