Communication bills have doubled in two years

Complaints regarding telecom bills on the website Şikayet Var have increased by 50 percent in the last 6 months. Consumers complain that the prices of the packages they use double once their contracts expire. GSM companies, on the other hand, are of the opinion that the price hikes are normal in an inflationary environment.

The increase in the prices of mobile operator and internet services varies according to the users' contracts. According to research by the Association of Competitive Telecommunication Operators (TELKODER), the annual communication expenses of a family of four rose from 4,238 TL in 2021 to 5,306 TL in 2022, and reached 8,934 TL in 2023. The amount of tax paid on communication expenses also rose from 927 TL in 2021 to 1,161 TL in 2022, and to 2,062 TL in 2023.

According to the report on Ekonomim.com, one has to pay 650 TL today for an internet tariff that was 335 TL in 2022. While GSM companies argue that the hikes are normal in an inflationary environment and even remain low, they state that the high rate of increases is due to annual price adjustments made because of contracts.

"SCT MUST BE ABOLISHED"

TELKODER Chairman of the Board Halil Nadir Teberci stated that the 3,628 lira increase observed in communication expenses in 2023 occurred at such a high level for the first time.

Pointing out that communication expenses will continue to rise this year, Teberci noted that currency fluctuations and tax increases play a significant role in the rise of bills related to family communication expenses.

Teberci said, "The Special Communication Tax (SCT), which was applied as 25 percent for mobile phones, 15 percent for landlines, and 5 percent for internet access until the end of 2017, was changed to 7.5 percent for all services in 2018.

The Special Communication Tax was increased to 10 percent in 2021. In addition, VAT increased to 20 percent in 2023. The SCT, which is not applied anywhere else in the world, must be abolished. We would also like to emphasize that VAT should not be this high. These increases strain our citizens' rights to receive affordable communication services. We believe that our government will take the necessary steps to reduce these tax burdens with the establishment of liberalization and full competition in this year of 2024," he said.

OPERATORS' INCREASE RATES

Looking at the last 9 months of data from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), Turkcell increased its average revenue per user (ARPU) by 66 percent, Vodafone by 63 percent, and Türk Telekom by 60 percent. In the third quarter of 2023, the average ARPU in European countries rose to 17.39 Euros, while it was 3.96 Euros in Turkey. In 2022, the average ARPU in European countries was 17.28 Euros, while it was 3.7 Euros in Turkey.

Turkcell was again the leader in revenue per subscriber in the third quarter of 2023. Turkcell's monthly revenue per subscriber increased by 22 percent in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter, rising from 108.8 TL to 132.8 TL. It reached 111.8 TL from 92.9 TL in Vodafone with a 20 percent increase, and 101.9 TL from 85 TL in Türk Telekom with a 19 percent increase. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the monthly revenue per subscriber was 79.4 TL for Turkcell, 68.2 TL for Vodafone, and 63.4 TL for Türk Telekom.

4TH GSM OPERATOR WILL BRING COMPETITION TO PRICES

NetGSM, which provides services such as bulk SMS and virtual telephone exchanges to businesses, has rolled up its sleeves to become the fourth GSM operator in Turkey. The company, which has started accepting subscribers with the "0510" number block, does not have its own base stations.

Just like service providers that provide fixed internet services using Türk Telekom's infrastructure, it uses Turkcell's mobile network infrastructure. Having started accepting subscribers only 3 days ago, NetGSM has drawn attention with package prices that are almost twice as cheap as other operators.

While a package with 20 GB of internet, 1000 minutes of talk time, and 100 SMS at NetGSM is 179 TL per month, Turkcell's package with 20 GB of internet, 2000 minutes of talk time, and 500 SMS is 430 TL per month, Vodafone's package with 20 GB of internet, 1000 minutes of talk time, and 250 SMS is 335 TL per month, and Türk Telekom's package with 20 GB of internet, 1000 minutes of talk time, and 250 SMS is 340 TL per month. For the company, which is still very new, there are also many consumer comments on Şikayet Var stating that the customer support line does not work well and that the phones do not have good reception.

News Source: 12punto