Nicosia, Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot legislature on Monday night voted to ratify an agreement under which Turk Telekom will bring fibreoptic internet to the north. The deal passed 27-20, with all opposition members voting against it.
Vote and absences
The agreement, signed last year by the north’s ruling coalition and Turk Telekom, was approved by 27 of the 29 members belonging to the ruling coalition. Emrah Yesilirmak did not attend the proceedings due to personal reasons, while Izlem Gurcag Altugra remained absent from Monday sessions in protest at ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel.
Cost estimates and contract terms
The deal has proven controversial, with initial estimates placing the cost to the Turkish Cypriot taxpayer at €26 million, rising to €110 million in its final version.
Under the agreement, Turk Telekom will have exclusive rights to provide home broadband internet in the north until 2051. The company will be exempt from tax on its profits, with the Turkish Cypriot treasury set to receive payments amounting to the equivalent of five per cent of Turk Telekom’s profits in Cyprus.
Regulation and infrastructure concerns
The exclusive rights come in a context where internet provision in the north is already tightly regulated. The use of satellite-based internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, is a crime punishable by up to six months in prison.
Further controversy has come from Turk Telekom’s stated intention to lay fibreoptic cables in existing tunnels, which critics say would limit the expansion of internet-based infrastructure in the north. The €110 million in the contract does not cover the cost of switchboards and cooling systems, among other secondary infrastructure required to facilitate the operation of fibreoptic cables.
Protests and police barrier
Earlier on Monday, protesters from various trade unions, led by telecommunications workers’ union Tel-Sen, gathered at the ‘parliament’ building but found that police had placed a riot fence a few hundred metres in front of the main entrance.
Opposition party TDP leader Zeki Celer criticised the barrier, saying, “the last time Turkish Cypriots were locked out of parliament was by the Greek Cypriots in 1963 – now the UBP, the DP, and the YDP have done it today,” referring to the ruling coalition’s three parties.
What do you think the long-term impact of the deal’s exclusive broadband rights until 2051 will be on internet access in the north?