Turkcell’s central network in Ukraine intact

ISTANBUL

Turkey-based international mobile and telecom firm Turkcell, one of the three main mobile operators in Ukraine, has said around 10 percent of its infrastructure in the country is affected by Russia’s invasion.

However, its central network in Ukraine remains undamaged, it added in a stock exchange statement on March 23.

Turkcell operates under the name “Lifecell” in Ukraine with around 9,000 base stations.

The company said it had provided the necessary equipment to maintain operations and established backup data centers in Lviv in western Ukraine and some neighboring nations

Nearly half of Turkcell’s retail stores in Ukraine remain open, according to the statement.

Turkcell’s operations in Ukraine comprised 7.8 percent of its 35.9 billion Turkish Lira ($2.42 billion) revenue in 2021.

Turkcell Group companies operate in four countries – Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus and North Cyprus.

Turkey Wealth Fund agreed to buy a 26 percent stake in October 2020.
LetterOne, the investment fund controlled by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman and his partners, owns almost 20 percent of Turkcell.