Tag: Turkcell

  • 7 firms pledge $3.2 million for Istanbul Olympics bid

    7 firms pledge $3.2 million for Istanbul Olympics bid

    Ankara (Turkey), March 10 (IANS) Seven of Turkey’s leading conglomerates have pledged to contribute to the bid to bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to the Turkish city of Istanbul, with sponsorship deals worth $3.2 million.

    An earlier meeting in Berlin in January resulted in seven firms, including Turkish Airlines, Koc Holding, Ulker, Dogus Group, Digiturk, Sabanci Holding and Turkcell, pledging investments as high as $20 million to sponsor the games, reports Xinhua.

    Sports Minister Suat Kilic has announced the deals alongside representatives from the seven companies in Istanbul, saying, “Before our sponsors became involved in the process, we felt all alone. When they decided to provide their support, we realized we were one big family.”

    The minister said the seven firms will put up $3.2 million in sponsorships, an amount which he said represented “50 percent of the burden”.

    Istanbul is competing in the final three with Madrid and Tokyo for the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. This is the fifth bid Turkey has made in the last six selections. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will elect the host city in a vote in September in Buenos Aires.

    via 7 firms pledge $3.2 million for Istanbul Olympics bid.

  • Turkcell Women’s Initiative, ‘Strong Women, Strong Turkey’ at the UN

    Turkcell Women’s Initiative, ‘Strong Women, Strong Turkey’ at the UN

    By Turkcell

    ISTANBUL, TURKEY, MARCH 7, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ —

    Turkcell Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Koray Öztürkler and the UN Global Compact Members
    Turkcell Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Koray Öztürkler and the UN Global Compact Members

    Turkcell (NYSE:TKC, ISE: TCELL), Turkey’s leading communications and technology company Turkcell represented Turkey on the panel organized by the UN for the Women’s Empowerment Principles – WEPs event on March 5th. During this event, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Koray Öztürkler presented Turkcell as an example for leading global companies, as well as the first Turkish Technology Company to challenge and reduce the inequalities that women face, through its corporate social responsibility projects with an emphasis on the principle of ‘Empowering the Women’.

    (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600701 )

    (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120614/537932-b )

    The 5th panel, which this year was hosted by the Austrian and Swedish governments, was attended by UN country affiliates, leading businessmen, academic scholars and NGO representatives.  Speaking on the panel, Öztürkler stated that: ‘It is an honor to represent Turkey with Turkcell’s pioneering social responsibility projects at an event focused ‘solely’ on Women. Providing better standards for our Women helps guarantee the future of our children.  In an attempt to provide equal opportunities in every aspects of life, we stand by the women through our latest technology, and corporate social responsibility projects, as well as by generating employment opportunities.  Since the last time we were here 2 years ago for our Snowdrops project, we have continued to support and initiate many other projects such as; Women Power to the Economy, regarding equality at the workplace, and the Zero Tolerance of Violence against Women project, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, as well as Human Resources practices, which position Turkcell as a unique company that cares about Women.  Once again, we are honored to represent Turkey at such an event with our vision of ‘Strong Women, Strong Turkey.’

    Panel participants were able to see the successful results with impressive numbers achieved by Turkcell:

    Snowdrops: The project was developed jointly in 2000 with the Association in Support of Contemporary Living to provide equal educational opportunities for underprivileged girls.  So far, over 100,000 scholarships have been granted. Each year 10,000 young Turkish women continue to receive both financial and moral support.

    Women Power to the Economy: Together with the Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction (“TISVA”) and the Turkey Grameen Microfinance Program, Turkcell has initiated the “Women Power to the Economy.” It aims to reach out to 100,000 women within 4 years. Turkcell has made an initial donation of TRY400,000 to boost the economic participation of women.  Additionally, Turkcell organized a gala dinner attended by Turkish business leaders where the honorary guest was the Nobel Prize winning Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus to raise an additional TRY400,000 for the campaign.

    ”Zero’’ Tolerance of Violence against Women: In an attempt to raise social awareness of this sad reality, which damages family unity and hurts society at large, a national 360 degree awareness campaign was launched.

    Employment: Turkcell human Resources policies enable women to be promoted to managerial positions, including senior executive level of Turkcell’s executive level managers 42% are women. The total number of women working at Turkcell makes up 49% of our employees overall.

    ABOUT TURKCELL

    Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, with 35.1 million subscribers as of December 31, 2012. Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 69.2 million subscribers as of December 31, 2012. It has become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSPA+. It has achieved up to 43.2 Mbps speed using the Dual Carrier technology, and is continuously working to provide the latest technology to its customers, e.g. 84 Mbps in the near future. Turkcell Superonline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkcell, is the one and only telecom operator to offer households fiber broadband connection at speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps in Turkey. As of December 31, 2012, Turkcell population coverage is at 99.17% in 2G and 84.02% in 3G.  Turkcell reported a TRY10.5 billion (US$5.9 billion) revenue with total assets of TRY18.7 billion (US$10.5 billion) as of December 31, 2012. It has been listed on the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more athttp://www.turkcell.com.tr

    For further information please contact Turkcell

    Nihat Narin                             Division Head of Investor and International      Media Relations              Tel: + 90-212-313-1244       Email: nihat.narin@turkcell.com.tr

    Banu Uzgur  International Media Relations Manager Tel: + 90-212-313-1506                    Email: banu.uzgur@turkcell.com.tr   investor.relations@turkcell.com.tr

     

    You can now follow the most up-to-date Turkcell developments on twitter by clicking on the link below.

    SOURCE Turkcell

    via ISTANBUL, Turkey, March 7, 2013: Turkcell Women’s Initiative, ‘Strong Women, Strong Turkey’ at the UN | PRNewswire | Rock Hill Herald Online.

  • Turkcell Pushes Button for Domestic Smart Phone: Code Name: Gebze

    Turkcell Pushes Button for Domestic Smart Phone: Code Name: Gebze

    Turkcell (NYSE: TKC, ISE: TCELL), Turkey’s leading communications and technology company Turkcell has announced its kick-starting of the first local smartphone, codenamed “Gebze” (the name of the city where Turkcell’s R&D center Turkcell Technology currently operates) , which will be the product of Turkish Designers and Engineers, both in terms of design and software.

         (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120614/537932-b )
    (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130226/599689 )

    From left to right: Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv; Turkey’s Minister of Transport, Marina Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim, Qualcomm Senior VP & President of Europe Enrico Salvatori
    From left to right: Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv; Turkey’s Minister of Transport, Marina Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim, Qualcomm Senior VP & President of Europe Enrico Salvatori

    Following the success of its own branded T-Series smart phones, Turkcell has pushed the button for its local smartphone Gebze, which will be develop by Turkcell’s 700-employee R&D center Turkcell Technology.  The Gebze is targeted for export, initially to regional countries, thereby contributing to the easing of the current account deficit in the approximate amount of TRY500,000 for each 1 million units sold.  The smart phone, equipped with features such as an interface unique to Turkcell, hardware developed based on the latest technologies and tailored for the needs of Turkish customers’, as well as rich application content will be offered at prices affordable for all.  Turkcell’s local smartphone is expected to meet the end user in 2013.

    Announcing a milestone for the Turkish telecommunications sector at a press conference at the Mobile World Congress (“MWC”) 2013, in Barcelona, Spain, with the participation of Turkey’s Minister of Transport, Marina Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim, Qualcomm Senior VP & President of Europe Enrico Salvatori , and Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv ; Turkcell also signed an agreement with Qualcomm, one of the world’s leading mobile technology companies.  With this cooperation, Turkcell will be able to participate in joint R&D activities with Qualcomm.

    Commenting during the Press Conference Minister of Transport, Marina Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim said: “R&D has always been of importance for countries.  We completed our studies on regulating R&D activities with regards to the Information and Communications sector in 2012.  During these studies, we aimed to produce a local product and create a brand.  With this purpose in mind, we support software and hardware projects in the sector for free.  Indeed, our studies in R&D and local contribution to production have started to bear fruit.  One of them is Turkcell’s.  And today, we have come one step closer to our target.  I congratulate Turkcell for this and thank everybody who put their effort and contribution into the development phase of this project.”

    Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv commented that “Our T Series smartphones, which we launched in an attempt to provide equal opportunities to information access, have been a great success, with sales of over 750,000 units.  We also launched our first “Turkcell Tablet” a short while ago.  We are both honored and happy to announce this development, which is a milestone for our sector, as well as for Turkcell, at the very heart of mobile communications, namely MWC.  With our Gebze smartphone, we aim to lead and encourage other sector players to manufacture in Turkey, thereby positively contributing to the current account deficit.  Indeed, it is possible to ensure that TRY500 million remains in Turkey’s pocket for each 1 million units of local smartphones sold.  We thank our Minister Mr. Binali Yıldırım and global giant Qualcomm for their support and cooperation on this exciting journey.”

    Qualcomm Senior VP & President of Europe Enrico Salvatori pointed out the fact that this partnership of two industry leaders marked an important development not just for Turkey, but also for other countries in the region. He went on to say that “As part of this cooperation, Turkcell will be able to utilize advanced features on the Qualcomm chipset and develop applications unique to Turkish users.  When considering Turkcell’s technology and innovation focus, we clearly see that these qualities are the major factors of its brand success.”

    ABOUT TURKCELL

    Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, with 35.1 million subscribers as of December 31, 2012. Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 69.2 million subscribers as of December 31, 2012. It has become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSPA+. It has achieved up to 43.2 Mbps speed using the Dual Carrier technology, and is continuously working to provide the latest technology to its customers, e.g. 84 Mbps in the near future. Turkcell Superonline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkcell, is the one and only telecom operator to offer households fiber broadband connection at speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps in Turkey. As of December 31, 2012, Turkcell population coverage is at 99.17% in 2G and 84.02% in 3G.  Turkcell reported a TRY10.5 billion (US$5.9 billion) revenue with total assets of TRY18.7 billion (US$10.5 billion) as of December 31, 2012. It has been listed on the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at

    ABOUT QUALCOMM

    Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm’s licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm’s engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm’s website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

    You can now follow the most up-to-date Turkcell developments on twitter by clicking on the link below.

    For further information please contact Turkcell
    Nihat Narin                              
    Division Head of Investor and International
    Media Relations
    Tel: +90-212-313-1244
    Email: nihat.narin@turkcell.com.tr

    Banu Uzgur 
    International Media Relations Manager
    Tel: +90-212-313-1506
    Email: banu.uzgur@turkcell.com.tr
    investor.relations@turkcell.com.tr

     

     

    SOURCE Turkcell

  • Twitter’s $1 Billion Target Helped by Turkey as IPO Nears

    Twitter’s $1 Billion Target Helped by Turkey as IPO Nears

    By Douglas MacMillan – Jan 14, 2013 6:01 AM GMT+0100

    Turkish pop sensation Murat Boz is closing in on 2 million followers on Twitter Inc., a sign that the U.S.-based microblogging service is gaining popularity overseas as growth slows in its home market.

    Boz — and Twitter — began getting added attention in Turkey after the San Francisco-based company reached a deal with wireless carrier Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS (TCELL) that lets users send short Twitter messages, or tweets, from their handsets at no charge.

    The pact represents a central ingredient of Twitter’s push for new users while preparing for an initial public offering. The company is targeting expansion in areas such as Asia, South America and the Middle East, where many people access the Web over inexpensive devices known as feature phones, rather than high-priced smartphones. By developing simpler versions of its application and landing deals with mobile carriers and device makers, Twitter is making its service cheaper and easier to use.

    “We need to deliver a more compelling product for low-end devices,” Dick Costolo, Twitter’s chief executive officer, said in an e-mail.

    It’s harder to get applications onto feature phones than it is to deliver them to smartphones, whose users can easily download new software onto Apple Inc. iPhones and Google Inc. Android devices through an online store. Putting Twitter on less-advanced phones requires tweaks to the software and navigating a thicket of regional players, Costolo said in an interview in November.

    250 Carriers

    By promoting Twitter, operators such as Turkcell are getting customers to spend more time on the Web and paying more for mobile data. In return, Twitter is adding new users, helping it sell advertising to marketers around the world.

    “Our number of mobile Twitter users has increased threefold” since the partnership, said Emre Sayin, chief consumer business unit officer at Tepebasi, Turkey-based Turkcell. “These users have also generated revenue by clicking on photos and visiting other links that were shared in tweets.”

    Twitter has partnered with about 250 operators in more than 100 countries, including India, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines. In some cases, customers can freely read and post tweets without incurring data charges. In other deals, operators just waive text-messaging charges.

    Jana Messerschmidt, the Twitter vice president of business development and platform relations who’s leading the global effort, said Twitter’s international popularity is a selling point in negotiations.

    ‘Sticky Services’

    “They are looking for compelling, sticky services that are going to drive users to use either Internet on their phone for the first time or use more data services than they used before,” Messerschmidt, a veteran of Netflix Inc. and DivX LLC, said in an interview. She declined to discuss any deal terms.

    Messerschmidt arranged in July with Espoo, Finland-based Nokia Oyj to get a Twitter app pre-installed on the handset maker’s Asha line of phones, which are designed with stripped- down features to make them more affordable for buyers in India and other emerging markets. The companies worked together on the app’s look and functionality, Seppo Aaltonen, Nokia’s head of mobile-phone strategy, said in an e-mail.

    “As a result of this close collaboration, we’ve delivered something perfectly tailored for consumers in fast-growth markets who are often cost-constrained but still want to have fun, new mobile experiences,” Aaltonen said.

    Nokia is the largest maker of feature phones, which make up just more than half, or 3.2 billion, of the world’s mobile phones, according to research firm Gartner Inc. That share is set to decline as competing Android-based smartphones become cheaper and more prevalent.

    Advantages Limited

    That may limit the benefits of courting feature-phone makers and operators, said John Jackson, an analyst at Framingham, Massachusetts-based IDC.

    “It’s not obvious to me that getting distributed across the fragmented landscape of feature phones is a worthwhile exercise at this point,” Jackson said. Forging such partnerships are a “lot of work” and Twitter’s efforts would be “better served chasing Google” to get apps featured on Android phones, he said.

    Another challenge: Twitter is competing with Facebook Inc. to add users globally. Facebook expanded feature-phone offerings with its 2011 acquisition of Israeli startup Snaptu Ltd., which develops a stripped-down version of the site’s application for more basic handsets.

    Smarter Chips

    For now, signing users in developing markets will give Twitter a more attractive platform to sell advertising and reach its target of $1 billion in revenue in 2014. A widespread global audience may also attract more potential investors in the company’s anticipated initial public offering.

    In addition to carriers and phone manufacturers, Twitter is also working with chipmakers to get its app bundled onto more handsets. Last July, it announced a deal with Hsinchu, Taiwan- based MediaTek Inc., which produces processors that go into about 500 million phones each year in emerging markets, including India and Southeast Asia.

    MediaTek has begun including Twitter in software installed with its mobile chips. The handsets using these chips have the option of “enabling” the app right out of the box, said Sharon Lo, a spokeswoman for MediaTek.

    “We strive to add more value to the phone,” Lo said. “If the end users are a group of Twitter users, then the handset maker can preload Twitter,” said Lo, who added that the company has similar deals with Yahoo! Inc., Facebook, and Gameloft SE.

    U.S. Slowdown

    Gaining users abroad is increasingly crucial as growth in the U.S. slows. Twitter will expand its U.S. audience 14 percent this year, to 36.3 million users, from 31.8 million in 2012, according to EMarketer Inc. That’s a slowdown from 2012, when the service grew 27 percent.

    As Twitter pushes into more markets, Messerschmidt said she enjoyed seeing the many new ways the site is being used, from people checking cricket scores in India to farmers checking agricultural product prices in Africa.

    “The Twitter service is so simple it should be able to reach anybody on the planet,” she said. “There’s lots of room for growth for us.”

  • Turkcell Smart Ticket Starts New Era at Stadiums

    Turkcell Smart Ticket Starts New Era at Stadiums

    ISTANBUL, Turkey, November 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —

    Turkcell (NYSE: TKC, ISE: TCELL), the leading communications and technology company in Turkey has announced its technological collaboration with the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), enabling football fans to purchase tickets using just an SMS and enter stadiums by having their mobile tickets read at the turnstiles.

    Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv together with the President of Turkish Football Federation Yildirim Demiroren
    Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv together with the President of Turkish Football Federation Yildirim Demiroren

     

    The CEO of Turkcell; the main sponsor of the Turkish National Team, Sureyya Ciliv, commented that “Mobile technologies are changing our habits by making life so much easier. The Smart Ticket revolution we launched today with TFF will soon spread out to various areas like stadiums, movie theatres, concerts and even public transportation. The Turkey-Denmark soccer game has the historic importance of being the 500th national game. This game will also go down in history as the one where the Turkcell Smart Ticket entered our lives. We are very happy to expand our harmonious collaboration with the main sponsor of TFF to the technological arena, and to make soccer lovers’ lives easier.”

    With Turkcell Smart Ticket technology, which brings soccer match tickets to cell phones with a single SMS, fans will be able to enter matches easily by having their mobile tickets read on specially designated turnstiles at stadiums. Turkcell Smart Ticket, compatible with all cell phone models, will help fans avoid inconveniences such queuing, forgetting tickets at home, or printing out tickets purchased online, and will also win fans’ hearts with special surprises and periodic opportunities. The Turkcell Smart Ticket application, a collaboration between Turkcell and TFF, will first come to life during the significant Turkey-Denmark game on November 14, 2012 at 9:00pm. Turkcell has reserved 7,000 Turkcell Smart Tickets for gnctrkcll club members. Those Turkcell gnctrkcll club members wishing to buy a Turkcell Smart Ticket need only write BİLET and send an SMS to 3544. For each Turkcell Smart Ticket purchased, gnctrkcll club members will receive one for free. Then, TRY15, the cost of the ticket is reflected to users’ invoices.

    ABOUT TURKCELL

    Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, with 35.2 million subscribers as of September 30, 2012. Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 68.1 million subscribers as of September 30, 2012. It has become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSPA+. It has achieved up to 43.2 Mbps speed using the Dual Carrier technology, and is continuously working to provide the latest technology to its customers, e.g. 84 Mbps in the near future. As of September 30, 2012, Turkcell population coverage is at 99.17% in 2G and 83.14% in 3G. Turkcell reported a TRY2.8 billion (US$1.5 billion) net revenue with total assets of TRY18.0 billion (US$10.1 billion) as of September 30, 2012. It has been listed on the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at

    For further information please contact Turkcell

    Nihat Narin

    Division Head of Investor and International

    Media Relations

    Tel: +90-212-313-1244

    Email: nihat.narin@turkcell.com.tr

    Banu Uzgur

    International Media Relations Manager

    Tel: +90-212-313-1506

    Email: banu.uzgur@turkcell.com.tr

    investor.relations@turkcell.com.tr

    via Turkcell Smart Ticket Starts New Era at Stadiums — ISTANBUL, Turkey, November 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –.

  • Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub

    Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub

    By Turkcell Superonline

    Published: Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012 – 1:09 am

    ISTANBUL, September 27, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ —

    Turkcell Superonline, the 100% subsidiary company of Turkcell (NYSE: TKC, ISE: TCELL), the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, announces that it has turned Istanbul into an internet hub, lifting the boundaries between countries and initiating the “internet without a visa” era through direct access agreements.

    Turkcell Superonline has nine international gateways, which enable fast and seamless internet access via connections with Europe’s most important internet traffic exchange points in Sofia, London, and Amsterdam, as well as through the Frankfurt POP in Germany.

    Collaborating with Tier-1 telecom operators such as Tata Communications, Deutsche Telekom, Inteliquent, Turkcell Superonline enables access to globally renowned networks directly from Istanbul, adding value not only for its business and partners, but also for the Turkish economy.

    Turkcell Superonline plays a major role in delivering transit data traffic and telecommunications services between Europe, CIS, Asia and the Middle East. As a critical operator, it provides the internet access needs of Iran, Iraq, Georgia, and Northern Cyprus, positioning Istanbul as the intersection point of the global communications network.

    Murat Erkan, General Manager of Turkcell Superonline, says, “Four years ago Turkcell Superonline’s aim had been to transform the Silk Road into the Fiber Road. Today, this is a reality via our fiber network.”

    ABOUT TURKCELL SUPERONLINE

    Turkey’s innovative telecom operator, Turkcell Superonline, continues its fiber optic infrastructure investments without any let up in speed. Turkcell Superonline is the one and only telecom operator to offer households internet connection at speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. It offers its corporate, residential and wholesale customers voice, data, and value added services.

    ABOUT TURKCELL

    Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, with 34.5 million subscribers and a market share of approximately 53% based on March 31, 2012 results (Source: operators’ announcements). Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 65.3 million subscribers as of March 31, 2012. The company covers approximately 88% of the Turkish population through its 3G and 99.13% through its 2G technology supported network.

    For further information please contact:

    Nihat Narin Division Head of Investor and International Media Relations Tel: + 90-212-313-1244 Email: nihat.narin@turkcell.com.tr

    Banu Uzgur International Media Relations Manager Tel: + 90-212-313-1506 Email: banu.uzgur@turkcell.com.tr investor.relations@turkcell.com.tr

    SOURCE Turkcell Superonline

    via Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub – PR Newswire – The Sacramento Bee.