Mobile Phone Companies in Istanbul, Turkey

Many people have questions about getting cell phones upon arriving to Istanbul.  Unlike many eastern European countries, it is not cheap to get a cell phone in Turkey.  For those of you traveling from North America, you may not have experienced using a SIM card before.  SIM cards are tiny cards that must be purchased to use cell phones in Istanbul.  Essentially, to set up a cell phone in Turkey, you need to have a phone, a SIM card, and then to put money onto the SIM card to make calls or text.

There are three companies that offer service in Istanbul and broader Turkey.  These three mobile carriers are Turkcell, Vodafone, and Avea. You can buy these in any mobile shop or even at the airport.

As of October 2011, the prices for SIM cards in Turkish Lira (TL) are as follows:

Turkcell 40TL SIM card with 5TL of credit
Vodafone: 70TL SIM card with 50TL of credit
Avea: 35TL without credit

Although cell phones used to be loaded with kontor (each kontor representing a certain amount of money), cell phones now use just credit. Each call and text costs a different amount depending on the carrier and whether it's international or domestic.  Generally, calls and texts cost around 40 kuruş (.40 lira) an SMS or minute.