TurkNet

TurkNet, legally TurkNet İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., is a Turkish telecommunications company serving consumers and organizations with internet access and telephone services. The company operates in Turkey and has developed a position in both the residential broadband and business connectivity markets. Its customer base has included household subscribers, small and medium-sized businesses, and larger enterprise accounts. The business traces its operating origins to a company called Netone. The TurkNet name and related assets were acquired from Sabancı Holding in February 2008. Sabancı had previously acquired Turk.Net from its founders in 1999. This sequence made the TurkNet brand the principal identity under which the company subsequently expanded its telecommunications operations. TurkNet's development has been supported by external financing and investment. In 2007, Novator, a private-equity fund controlled by Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson, invested $12.5 million in the company. In May 2013, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided a €9.5 million loan for a capital-expansion program. These transactions supported the company's efforts to expand its network capabilities and customer reach. A defining element of TurkNet's infrastructure strategy has been the deployment of its own equipment through local-loop unbundling, or LLU, in Türk Telekom stations. LLU allows an alternative operator to use the local access network while placing its own telecommunications equipment in relevant facilities. For TurkNet, this approach reduced wholesale data costs and gave the company greater control over the services delivered across parts of its access network. The company reported LLU investments in more than 26 cities and more than 200 Türk Telekom stations. TurkNet also became associated with the removal of fair-usage quotas. In April 2017, it eliminated the fair-usage quota for customers served through its active infrastructure. In September of the same year, it stated that it had become the first operator in Turkey to remove the quota for all of its customers. This policy formed part of the brand's consumer-facing differentiation in a market where broadband speeds, usage limits, and service conditions were important purchasing considerations. The company was reported as having more than 350,000 residential customers, 25,000 small and medium-sized business customers, and more than 2,500 enterprise customers in the source material. Earlier figures described a retail base of approximately 180,000 customers and 25,000 business customers, illustrating the expansion of the residential business over time. At the end of September 2015, TurkNet was identified as Turkey's fourth-largest internet service provider, with a 2.1 percent share of the ISP market and a 3.7 percent share of fixed-line telephone services. TurkNet's business scope therefore combines retail broadband, business connectivity, enterprise telecommunications, and fixed-line voice services.

TurkNet's history is linked to the evolution of Turkey's alternative telecommunications sector. The business was originally established as Netone. In 1999, Sabancı Holding acquired Turk.Net from its founders, bringing the brand under the ownership of one of Turkey's major industrial groups. Netone later acquired the TurkNet brand and associated assets from Sabancı Holding in February 2008, establishing the identity under which the company would continue its internet and telephone operations. The company attracted outside capital during its expansion. In 2007, Novator invested $12.5 million in TurkNet. Novator was described as a private-equity fund controlled by Icelandic investor Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson. In May 2013, TurkNet obtained a €9.5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The loan was intended to support a capital-expansion program, reflecting the infrastructure-intensive nature of fixed broadband and telecommunications businesses. TurkNet's network model relied in part on local-loop unbundling. The company installed its own equipment in Türk Telekom stations, allowing it to provide services using unbundled local access facilities rather than depending entirely on wholesale network products. This investment helped lower wholesale data costs and gave TurkNet greater operational control in the locations where its equipment was deployed. The company reported LLU investments in more than 26 cities and over 200 Türk Telekom stations. The infrastructure program supported growth across several customer groups. TurkNet served residential users, SMEs, and enterprise customers, combining consumer internet access with business connectivity and telephone services. At the end of September 2015, it was identified as Turkey's fourth-largest internet service provider, holding 2.1 percent of the ISP market. It also held a 3.7 percent share of fixed-line telephone services. Later figures in the source material described more than 350,000 residential customers, 25,000 SME customers, and over 2,500 enterprise customers, while an earlier reported base consisted of approximately 180,000 retail customers and 25,000 business customers. A notable commercial decision came in 2017, when TurkNet removed fair-usage quotas. In April, the company eliminated the quota for customers using its active infrastructure. In September, it extended the policy to all customers and presented itself as the first operator in Turkey to do so. The decision made usage freedom a central point of differentiation and connected the company's infrastructure investments with a simpler consumer proposition. TurkNet remains an active Turkish telecommunications brand. Its documented business scope includes fixed internet access, telephone services, SME connectivity, and enterprise telecommunications. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current parent company, listed status, ticker, chief executive, or official corporate website for this dossier.

• 2017

  Fair-usage quota removal

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  TurkNet removed fair-usage quotas first for customers on its active infrastructure and later for its entire customer base.

• 2015

  Fourth-largest ISP position reported

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  At the end of September, TurkNet was reported to hold 2.1 percent of Turkey's ISP market and 3.7 percent of fixed-line telephone services.

• 2013

  EBRD capital-expansion financing

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  TurkNet received a €9.5 million EBRD loan for capital expansion.

• 2008

  TurkNet brand acquisition

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Netone purchased the TurkNet brand and associated assets from Sabancı Holding.

• 2007

  Novator investment

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Novator invested $12.5 million in the company.

• 1999

  Sabancı Holding acquires Turk.Net

  [1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Sabancı Holding acquired the Turk.Net brand from its founders.

A Turkish alternative telecommunications operator emphasizing network investment, direct control of access infrastructure, and simplified broadband usage policies.

• Fixed broadband

  Residential internet access

  TurkNet provides fixed internet access to household customers in Turkey. Its consumer proposition has been supported by the company's own equipment deployments and by its use of local-loop-unbundled access in Türk Telekom stations. In 2017, the company removed fair-usage quotas, making unrestricted usage a prominent part of its residential service positioning.

• Business telecommunications

  Business internet and connectivity

  The company serves small and medium-sized businesses with internet and related connectivity services. TurkNet's business activity formed a substantial part of its customer base and complemented its residential operations. The service model benefits from the company's investment in access infrastructure and its ability to provide connectivity through both its own network equipment and unbundled local access.

• Enterprise connectivity

  Enterprise telecommunications

  TurkNet also supplies telecommunications services to larger organizations. The documented enterprise scope includes internet access and telephone services. Public reference material does not provide a complete product catalogue or detailed service specifications, but enterprise customers are identified as a distinct customer segment alongside residential and SME users.

• Fixed-line voice

  Telephone services

  Telephone services are part of TurkNet's telecommunications portfolio for business and consumer customers. The company was reported to have a measurable share of Turkey's fixed-line telephone services market in 2015. Available reference material does not specify the full range of voice plans, technologies, or current availability.

• 2017

  Remove fair-usage quotasStrategy

  Background

  Fair-usage limits were a relevant distinction in the Turkish broadband market, while TurkNet had been investing in its own equipment and local-loop-unbundled infrastructure.

  Action taken

  TurkNet removed the quota for customers using its active infrastructure in April 2017 and extended the policy to all customers in September.

  Aftermath

  The decision strengthened TurkNet's positioning around unrestricted internet usage and was presented by the company as a first-of-its-kind move among Turkish operators.

  Source

• 2017

  TurkNet removes fair-usage quota from active-infrastructure customers[1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Pricing

  TurkNet eliminated the fair-usage quota for customers served through its active infrastructure.

• 2017

  TurkNet removes fair-usage quota for all customers[1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Pricing · Other

  The company stated that it had become the first operator in Turkey to remove fair-usage quotas for its complete customer base.

• 2013

  TurkNet receives EBRD expansion loan[1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided TurkNet with a €9.5 million loan to support a capital-expansion program.

• 2007

  Novator invests in TurkNet[1]TurkNeten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Novator, a private-equity fund controlled by Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson, invested $12.5 million in TurkNet.

1. 1TurkNeten.wikipedia.org