Traveling in Turkey without internet access is quite inconvenient nowadays. A local Turk Telekom SIM card is necessary if you want to stay connected to the internet, use location services, make calls, and send messages while exploring this beautiful country. This article will walk you through all the key things to know about getting a Turk Telekom SIM card in Turkey as a tourist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents<\/h2>
I. Quick Facts about Turk Telekom<\/a><\/div>
II. Why Turk Telekom When You’re Exploring Turkey – Coverage and Speed<\/a><\/div>
III. Turk Telekom Connectivity Options for Travelers to Turkey<\/a><\/div>
IV. Best Turk Telekom SIM Card for Tourists & Cost<\/a><\/div>
V. Does Turk Telekom Support eSIM in Turkey?<\/a><\/div>
VI. Where Can You Buy a Turk Telekom SIM and eSIM?<\/a><\/div>
VII. How to Activate Turk Telekom SIM\/eSIM in Turkey<\/a><\/div>
VIII. Turkey Turk Telekom Call & SMS Rates<\/a><\/div>
IX. Useful USSD Codes for Turk Telekom SIM\/eSIM<\/a><\/div>
X. How to Top-up Turk Telekom SIM\/eSIM<\/a><\/div>
XI. FAQs about Turk Telekom in Turkey<\/a><\/div>
XII. Final Words<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n
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$\"Turk$ <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
I. Quick Facts about Turk Telekom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Turk Telekom is the major fixed-line telephone operator and second-largest mobile network in Turkey. Here are some quick facts about this brand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Established<\/strong>: Originally founded in 1840 as the Directorate of Posts. Privatized in 2005 under the name Turk Telekom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Branding name<\/strong>: T\u00fcrk Telekom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Services provided<\/strong>: Fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, broadband internet, TV services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Number of subscribers<\/strong>: Around 48 million in total across all services as of 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Number of stores<\/strong>: Over 2,500 across Turkey<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Customer service<\/strong>: Available 24\/7 online, by phone and in stores<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Awards<\/strong>: Named “Service Provider of the Year” at Telecoms World Middle East Awards 2021<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
$\"Turk$
Turk Telekom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
II. Why Turk Telekom When You’re Exploring Turkey – Coverage and Speed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2.1 Turk Telekom Coverage in Turkey<\/h3>\n\n\n
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$\"Turkey$
Turkey Mobile Operators Coverage. Source: nperf<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBased on the Opensignal Report for T\u00fcrkiye from June 2024<\/a>, here are the key insights regarding T\u00fcrk Telekom’s coverage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Coverage Experience:
<\/strong>T\u00fcrk Telekom scored 5.2 out of 10 for the Coverage Experience metric, which measures the extent of mobile network coverage in areas where users would reasonably expect to find coverage. Turkcell performed better with a score of 7.2, while Vodafone scored 5.9.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Availability<\/strong>:
The report shows that T\u00fcrk Telekom users had access to either a 3G, 4G, or 5G connection 98.8% of the time, which was slightly higher than Turkcell (98.5%) and Vodafone (98.5%).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
While T\u00fcrk Telekom’s network availability was marginally better than its competitors at 98.8%, its Coverage Experience score of 5.2 lagged behind Turkcell (7.2) and Vodafone (5.9). This suggests that despite high availability, the quality and extent of T\u00fcrk Telekom’s coverage in populated areas could be improved compared to other operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.2 Turk Telekom Speed<\/h3>\n\n\n
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$\"Turkey$
Turkey Mobile Operators Speed<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Based on the latest Opensignal Report, here are the key findings related to T\u00fcrk Telekom’s speed performance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Download Speed Experience: T\u00fcrk Telekom had an average download speed of 27.8 Mbps, which was slower than Turkcell’s 37.6 Mbps but faster than Vodafone’s 19.4 Mbps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Upload Speed Experience: T\u00fcrk Telekom’s average upload speed was 12.1 Mbps, slightly behind Turkcell’s 12.7 Mbps but ahead of Vodafone’s 9.5 Mbps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary, while not the fastest for download speeds, T\u00fcrk Telekom demonstrated reasonably good speed performance, ranking second behind Turkcell for both download and upload speeds among the three major operators in T\u00fcrkiye. However, Turkcell maintained a clear lead in download speed experience over T\u00fcrk Telekom and Vodafone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
III. Turk Telekom Connectivity Options for Travelers to Turkey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are three main ways travelers to Turkey can get internet and cell service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n Option <\/td>\n \n Description <\/td>\n \n Suitable For <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n Physical SIM Card <\/td>\n \n Purchase a local SIM with data plan. Requires unlocked device <\/td>\n \n Single device users, short to long-term stays. <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n eSIM <\/td>\n \n Digital SIM activated remotely. Compatible eSIM-enabled devices <\/td>\n \n Devices without a removable SIM card slot, short to long-term stays. <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n Pocket WiFi (Mobile Hotspot) <\/td>\n \n Portable WiFi hotspot device. Connect multiple devices. <\/td>\n \n Multiple device users, groups\/families traveling together. <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n Roaming <\/td>\n \n Use home carrier's SIM. Roaming rates apply <\/td>\n \n Convenient for short stays, but can be more expensive. <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/table>\n<\/div>