Using Mobile Phones in Turkey

Cell phones are very popular in Turkey and it is pretty easy to find shops for cell phones wherever you go. If you are willing to use mobile phones in Turkey you can either use your own SIM CARD from your current operator or you can get a new SIM CARD from one of the Turkish GSM operators.

Using your own SIM CARD

Using your own SIM CARD from your current GSM operator is the most comfortable but probably the most expensive way of using cell phones in Turkey. In order to use your own SIM CARD, your phone and your calling plan has to be suitable for International Roaming. Contact your GSM operator to find out if you can use your phone abroad or to activate your plan for International Roaming.

If you don’t want to be surprised with the phone bill, check the international calling rates before you use your SIM CARD in Turkey.

Using Turkish SIM CARDs

Currently there are 3 GSM operators in Turkey. Turkcell, Vodafone and Avea. All of them has Prepaid and Postpaid plans. In Turkey, cell phone users are not charged for the calls they received. So if you are planning to use the cell phone for a short time or just want to be reachable in Turkey choose the Prepaid SIM cards. Using Prepaid Sim Cards are more expensive than Postpaid Subscriber plans so if you are planning to live in Turkey check the Postpaid plan rates of the Turkish GSM operators.

In order to use Turkish SIM CARDs, your phone has to be suitable to be used with an international GSM operator. In these days, most of the cell phones are locked which makes them useless with another operator’s SIM CARD other than your current operator. So if you are planning to use your own cell phone, make sure it can be used with one of the Turkish SIM CARDs.

Turkish GSM Operators

Prepaid SIM cards can be the best option if you are not planning to use the SIM card for a long time. There is no commitment other than the amount you pay for the card. They can be refilled and can be used as long as you want. All Prepaid SIM cards come with some amount of usage units which is called “kontör” in Turkish. Usage units (kontör) can be bought online from the GSM operators’ websites or bought from most of the Newstands, Supermarkets and of course cell phone stores which is almost everywhere.

Cell phone users are not charged for the received calls in Turkey so you can use the Prepaid SIM cards for just to be reachable in Turkey. Unused usage units (kontör) expire in a month or so, depends on the plan you have. Having no usage units (kontör) doesn’t mean you won’t receive calls. It means you can not call but you can still receive calls. The length of this free received calls service also depends on the plan you are using. Using Prepaid SIM cards can be very cheap if you know which plan to use depends on your needs.

Postpaid SIM cards can be profitable if you are planning to live in Turkey or travel to Turkey a lot. These types of plans are good for people who doesn’t want to deal with refills.

How to dial Turkish phone numbers

To make an international call from Turkey,

dial 00 + Country Code + Telephone Number

"00" is the international access code in Turkey and must be dialed first for all international calls made from Turkey. Sometimes telephone numbers are shown with the plus(+) sign in front of the number as in the example; + 90 212 455 5555. When you are calling from Turkey the plus sign (+) stands for "00".
Country code of the country you are calling must be used when dialing an international phone number.
You may also need the area code of the number you are calling to.

You can find the country codes below. By clicking the country names, you can find the detailed information of how to call that country from Turkey.