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How to stay online in Turkey?

How to stay online in Turkey?

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How to stay online in Turkey?

Everything about the internet in Turkey

  • Internet speed,

  • Buying Turkish SIM cards,

  • roaming charges,

  • Alternatives to Turkish SIM cards,

  • Internet blocking

  • Frequently asked questions.

 1. How much does roaming cost in Turkey?

About roaming in Türkiye

Roaming is not an option in Turkey because the country is not part of the EU.

Depending on your provider, one minute can cost more than one euro, and a few MB of data can quickly add up to a few euros.

Your mobile phone provider will send you an SMS with the roaming conditions after your arrival in Turkey.

 2. Is the internet fast in Turkey?

Internet Speed in Turkey

The mobile network works fast all over Turkey, including in Central and East Anatolia.

Mobile internet works well in all cities and tourist areas. There are very few hotels with poor internet connection.

In the hotels on the Turkish Riviera, in Istanbul and in the seaside resorts on the Aegean Sea, you very rarely have a problem with the internet. In my experience, the speed is sufficient for streaming, Youtube and Netflix in 90% of all cases.

I have only had bad experiences with WiFi in an hotel in east Anatolia, for example once in a remote hotel in Van.

Mobile internet works almost everywhere in Turkey with more than 10MB download speed. I tested this from Kusadasi on the Aegean to Diyarbakir in south-east Anatolia.

You sometimes have problems in sparsely populated regions in central and eastern Anatolia where are roads along which there are no houses for 10 to 20 km.

Turkey has twice the land area of Germany with the same number of inhabitants. 40% of the 80 million Turks live in big cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Gaziantep and Bursa. The network coverage is nevertheless good, with the exception of some sparsely populated regions as mentioned.

 3. Is there free WiFi in Turkey?

WIFI in Turkey

Ölüdeniz near Fethiye, for example, can only be reached by boat or via a steep hiking trail. To attract customers, the restaurants there also have free WiFi.

Hotels in Turkey have free internet 99% of the time.

Restaurants, cafes, train stations, ferries and long-distance buses almost always have free internet.

The tourist airports in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Bodrum-Milas and Dalaman have free internet for at least 2 hours. You have to register once for free with your phone number in the WiFi. You can do this with a confirmation SMS.

The smaller local airports usually have the same system for free internet for 2 hours.

A very negative exception is the airport in Antalya. There, only some restaurants, cafes and the paid airport lounge have WiFi. The cafes outside the airport even charge for WiFi.

The problem only exists at the airport in Antalya. Otherwise, in the whole province of Antalya, almost all the hotels, restaurants and cafes have free internet.

4. Can I buy a SIM card in Turkey?

Buy a sim card in Turkey

You can buy SIM cards at the major tourist airports in Turkey. This is possible in Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir, Ankara, Dalaman and Bodrum-Milas. Small local airports without an international terminal usually do not have shops selling SIM cards.

Here I would like to mention the potential risks associated with using public Wi-Fi networks while travelling. While public Wi-Fi can be convenient and inexpensive, it can also be insecure and leave your friend or family member vulnerable to cyberattacks. By purchasing an internet package, they can ensure they have a secure and reliable connection, minimising the risk of data breaches and other security issues.

Tourist SIM cards bought at the airport work for between a week and a month. A data volume of a few GB and free minutes on the phone are included.

Due to the devaluation of the Turkish lira, SIM cards cost about the same as in Germany. Until 2017, you paid more for a Turkish SIM card than in Germany.

Currently, you can expect to pay between €55 and €65 for a Turkish SIM card at the airport. SIM cards outside the airports are cheaper.

Important: SIM cards work in foreign smartphones without an IMEI number registered in Turkey for a maximum of 120 days. After that, the network provider blocks the phone permanently. Unlocking for more than 120 days is only possible with a residence permit (Ikamet) and costs more than 100€.

5. which network provider can I recommend in Turkey?

network operator

The choice of network operator does not matter in Turkish resorts. They all have good reception. This is also true for almost all other parts of the country. There are only real differences in small villages away from the urban centres. The three most important criteria for buying a SIM card are the price, the data credit and the free minutes.

My conclusion on the internet

network operator

The internet works well in almost all Turkish hotels. Hoteliers realise that the most common question after check-in is the WiFi password.

The mobile network is well developed in Turkey. The download speed is fine almost everywhere except in very remote areas.

Unfortunately, buying SIM cards is still complicated in Turkey. Fortunately, there are now shops with SIM cards at the major airports.

It is still not possible to use foreign phones with a Turkish SIM card on a permanent basis. This is a problem for long-term travelers.

On a normal trip, this does not affect you unless you plan to stay in Turkey for more than 120 days.

If you have your own experiences, tips or a question about the internet in Turkey, write us below in the comments.

2 comments

  1. Posted by AdaMavi| 25.09.2023|
    Als Ergänzung zu dem Beitrag oben möchte ich auch meine Erfahrungen und Tipps hinzufügen. Hier sind einige Tipps zumMobilfunknetz, Roaming und WiFi in der Türkei:
     
    Abdeckung des Mobilfunknetzes in der Türkei:Die Türkei hat eine gute Mobilfunknetzabdeckung, vor allem in städtischen Gebieten. Die wichtigsten Mobilfunkbetreiber in der Türkei sind Turkcell, Vodafone und Turk Telekom. Sie können eine lokale SIM-Karte von einem dieser Betreiber an Flughäfen, in Geschäften oder an Kiosken erwerben.
    Roaming in der TürkeiWenn Sie vorhaben, Ihr Mobiltelefon während Ihrer Reise in die Türkei zu benutzen, erkundigen Sie sich bei Ihrem Mobilfunkbetreiber, ob es Roaming-Dienste in der Türkei anbietet. Die Roaming-Gebühren können recht hoch sein, daher sollten Sie die Tarife prüfen, bevor Sie Ihr Handy im Ausland benutzen.
    WiFi Verbindung in der Türkei: WiFi ist in der Türkei weit verbreitet, insbesondere in Hotels, Restaurants, Cafés und anderen öffentlichen Einrichtungen. Die meisten Hotels bieten kostenloses WiFi an, und auch in vielen öffentlichen Bereichen finden Sie kostenlose WiFi-Hotspots. Beachten Sie jedoch, dass öffentliche WiFi-Netzwerke weniger sicher sein können als private Netzwerke, seien Sie also vorsichtig, wenn Sie sich mit ihnen verbinden.
    VPN in der Türkei: Wenn Sie planen, öffentliche WiFi-Netzwerke in der Türkei zu nutzen, ist es eine gute Idee, ein VPN (virtuelles privates Netzwerk) zu verwenden, um Ihren Internetverkehr zu verschlüsseln und Ihre Privatsphäre zu schützen. Sie können ganz einfach eine VPN-App auf Ihr Mobilgerät herunterladen, bevor Sie in der Türkei ankommen.
    Wichtige Lokale Apps in der Türkei:In der Türkei gibt es mehrere beliebte mobile Apps, die während Ihres Aufenthalts nützlich sein können, z. B. Yemeksepeti (Essenslieferung), BiTaksi (Taxibuchung) und Sahibinden (Online-Marktplatz). Sie können diese Apps aus dem App Store oder von Google Play herunterladen.
    Notrufnummern in der Türkei:Für Notfälle sind die folgenden Nummern nützlich: 112 (Krankenwagen), 110 (Feuerwehr) und 155 (Polizei). Sie können diese Nummern von jedem Mobiltelefon oder Festnetzanschluss in der Türkei kostenlos anrufen.
    Kulturelle Eigenschaften:Wenn Sie Ihr Mobiltelefon an öffentlichen Orten benutzen, sollten Sie die lokalen kulturellen Normen beachten. Es gilt als unhöflich, laut am Telefon zu sprechen oder das Telefon während sozialer Interaktionen zu benutzen. Vermeiden Sie es außerdem, Ihr Telefon in Moscheen zu benutzen, da dies als respektlos angesehen wird.
    Ich hoffe, diese Tipps sind hilfreich für Ihre Reise in die Türkei!
  2. Posted by Gerald189| 25.09.2023|

    Ich habe eine Vodafone abo. Pro Tag verlangen sie 8 euro roaming gebühren für ein Paket upgrade. 
    Geht es günstiger vor Ort in der Türkei? 

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