5G has arrived, bills have surged: Price hikes for mobile tariffs
The BTK has increased price ceilings for many mobile services, primarily phone calls and SMS, by 15.8 percent. Prices have risen alongside the transition process to 5G.
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The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has announced the maximum fee tariffs that will be valid for mobile communication services at the beginning of April, as it does every year. Within the scope of the regulation that came into effect as of April 1, 2026, upper price limits for various mobile services, primarily call and SMS sending fees, have been updated.
15.8 PERCENT INCREASE IN PRICE CEILINGS
With the new practice, which leads to significant changes for subscribers, the average of the highest fees that mobile operators can demand from their customers has been increased by approximately 15.8 percent. It is noteworthy that this price change occurred following the commissioning of 5G technology.
CALL AND SMS FEES HAVE RISEN
The per-minute rate for domestic calls, one of the most used services, has been increased from the previous price ceiling of 4.11 TL to 4.75 TL. A noticeable increase was also seen in international call fees, and the maximum amount per minute was raised to 56.37 TL. The fee for sending a text message was set at 3.39 TL for domestic and 9.88 TL for international.
NEW TARIFFS FOR TECHNICAL TRANSACTIONS AS WELL
The change in question is not limited to calls and SMS. New tariffs have also begun to be applied for technical and administrative procedures such as line transfer transactions, number changes, line activation/deactivation, or out-of-warranty SIM card replacements. The maximum fees determined for these transactions are as follows: Line transfer transaction 91.38 TL, number change and SIM card change (out-of-warranty) 208.51 TL, and activation-deactivation fee 212.70 TL.
30.5 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE LAST YEAR
According to the assessment made by the BTK, there has been a total increase of 30.5 percent in mobile communication price ceilings within the last one-year period. This has led to a significant cost difference in users' postpaid and prepaid lines.
EXCEPTION FOR EXISTING SUBSCRIBERS
The new maximum fees that have come into effect determine the highest amounts that operators can apply. It has been reported that users who are currently benefiting from a promotional or contract-based tariff will not be affected by this hike until their current contracts expire. The new tariffs are closely related to pricing, especially in cases of package overages or flexible usage.