While there is not much competition in the Turkish telecom market (at least in terms of land lines and pay phones), Turk Telekom´s longtime dominance has ensured the development of telecom infrastructure throughout the country. Today, Turkey offers excellent access to telephone and internet service.
To make a long-distance call (any call outside of your area code), you have to dial the long-distance prefix (0) before the seven-digit local phone number. Here are the area codes for Turkey´s major cities:
- Adana 322
- Ankara 312
- Antalya 242
- Bursa 224
- Istanbul (Asian side) 216
- Istanbul (European side) 212
- Izmir 232
Each Turkish mobile provider is also assigned a range of area codes (or mobile prefixes). Turkcell uses numbers 530-539, Vodafone 541-549, and Avea 502-506.
Useful telephone service numbers
155 Police
112 Ambulance
110 Fire
170 Tourism Info
Special codes
The prefix 900 indicates a high-tariff number, while tariff-free numbers begin with 800.
International Calls in Turkey
To make an international call in Turkey, dial the international calling prefix (00), followed by the appropriate country code, area code, and local telephone number. If you are having trouble getting through, try dialing 115. This will connect you to the operator. Provided you can communicate with her (her English may not be very good), she should be able to connect you.
To call a Turkish number from abroad, dial your international access code, Turkey´s country code (90), the area code, and then the local phone number.
International calling cards are available throughout Turkish cities at both news-stands and convenience stores. Calling cards are the best options for making economical international calls from Turkey, especially if you are visiting Turkey as a tourist or on short-term business.
If you have internet access, however, you can use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) such as Skype to make international calls for free. You and the person you are calling must have Skype installed on your computers, and you both need headphones and a microphone (or a web-cam). You can also call mobile and fixed-line phone numbers through Skype, and while this service is not free the rates are extremely cheap.