Home Internet in Turkey: Lines, Contracts and Your Rights
How home internet reaches a flat in Türkiye, what a taahhüt (minimum-term) contract binds you to, what leaving early costs and where to complain.
Table of Contents
A home internet line in Türkiye comes over fibre, over a phone wire (xDSL), over a cable network or over another kind of line. BTK, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu), counted 10.7 million fibre and 8.0 million xDSL subscriptions in the second quarter of 2026. Many contracts carry a taahhüt: a promise to stay for a set number of months in return for a discount, 24 months at most for internet.
In short · checked 30.10.2026
The line, the contract, the exit.
- Taahhüt: a promise to stay for the months in the contract in return for a discount. For internet the limit is 24 months.
- Leaving early: the provider may ask a fee, widely known as cayma bedeli. The rule sets the most it can be: the lower of the discounts received and the bills still due.
- No fee: when the consumer moves and the same service cannot in practice be given at the new address, and for internet when the promised speed is not provided under BTK’s rules (the price of a device excepted).
- Ending: the end of a taahhüt does not end the contract. A notice in writing or on a durable medium does, and the provider has 7 days to act on it.
- Complaints: first the provider, then BTK (line 120) or the Ministry of Trade (line 175). Under 186,000 TL a consumer arbitration board decides.
- No silent renewal: a fixed-term contract is not extended or renewed without the consumer’s request or consent.
Try it · the taahhüt coupon book
Pick the month you leave after
The Ministry of Trade’s own example: a 12-month taahhüt, a discount of 200 TL a month and a bill of 400 TL a month. Tap a coupon or change a number: the stamp shows the most the rule lets the provider ask.
The Ministry’s example: a 12-month taahhüt, a discount of 200 TL a month, a bill of 400 TL a month.
- Leaving at the end of month 4: discounts received 800 TL, bills still to come 3,200 TL. The most the rule lets the provider ask is 800 TL.
- Leaving at the end of month 9: discounts received 1,800 TL, bills still to come 1,200 TL. The most the rule lets the provider ask is 1,200 TL.
Tap the month you leave after
Leaving at the end of month 4 of 12: discounts received so far 800 TL, bills still to come 3,200 TL. The most the rule lets the provider ask is the lower of the two: 800 TL.
A message to copy
- Taahhüdümü 4. ayın sonunda sonlandırmak istiyorum. Cayma bedelinin hesaplama yöntemini ve tutarını yazılı olarak bildirir misiniz?I want to end my taahhüt at the end of month 4. Please tell me in writing how the early-leaving fee is worked out and how much it is.
- May be added: unpaid instalments or prices of a device, modem, installation, activation or similar extras given under the taahhüt.
- No fee: the consumer moves and the same service cannot in practice be given at the new address.
- No fee: for internet, the promised speed is not provided under BTK’s rules. The price of a device is still due.
- Source: Ministry of Trade, consumer guide on subscription contracts, page dated 15.06.2026, checked 30.10.2026. Months other than 4 and 9 are worked out by the same rule.
The line to your flat
Altyapı is the word for infrastructure: the lines and the equipment behind a connection. BTK counts broadband subscriptions in six rows. Two are mobile: internet on a mobile phone and internet on a mobile computer. The other four are xDSL, fiber, kablo and diğer.
The four kinds, in plain words
- xDSL
- Internet over a telephone wire.
- fiber
- Internet over an optical-fibre cable.
- kablo · cable
- Internet over a cable network.
- diğer · other
- BTK’s row for every other kind of line.
- MastAn aerial for the mobile network. BTK counts mobile-phone internet in a row of its own, apart from xDSL, fibre, cable and other.
- Exchange · santralSantral is the word for a telephone exchange.
- Street cabinet · saha dolabıSaha dolabı is the word for a street cabinet, a grey box at the roadside.
- Building boxThe drawing shows the cables from the street reaching the building at a box on its wall, with one cable going on inside.
- ModemModem is the box in the flat where the line ends. Whose it is matters at the end of a taahhüt: unpaid instalments for a modem can be added to the early-leaving sum.
Which kind of line is it?
BTK’s counts are for the second quarter of 2026, against the second quarter of 2025.
Internet over a telephone wire. BTK counted 8.0 million xDSL subscriptions, down 16.7 % against 2025 Q2.
Internet over an optical-fibre cable. BTK counted 10.7 million fiber subscriptions, up 22.0 % against 2025 Q2.
Internet over a cable network. BTK counted 1.5 million kablo subscriptions, up 2.4 % against 2025 Q2.
Every other kind of line, in BTK’s row diğer. BTK counted 1.0 million subscriptions, up 12.0 % against 2025 Q2.
Signing up and the papers you get
A subscription contract (abonelik sözleşmesi) is how a home internet line is bought. It can be made in writing, by phone, by e-mail, by SMS or on the internet.
The taahhütname holds six things
- The term of the taahhüt.
- The nature of the good or service.
- The total price with all taxes.
- The price of the discounted tariff before the taahhüt.
- The monthly discount.
- The method for working out what is repaid if the taahhüt ends early.
- Contract The contract is made in one of those ways. A copy goes to the consumer on paper or on a durable medium: SMS, e-mail, the internet, a disk, a CD, a DVD, a memory card or the like.
- Taahhütname With a taahhüt comes a taahhütname, the paper that holds it. It is part of the contract and is given in writing or on a durable medium.
- By phone or SMS A taahhüt made by phone is valid when all six items are told during the call. One made by SMS needs the total price with taxes and the term.
- Afterwards The contract, the taahhütname and the tariff can be asked for during the term. The provider gives them free of charge or puts them online.
The address on a contract is written in the Turkish format: see Turkish Address Format.
The taahhüt: a promise for a discount
What it is
A taahhüt is a promise by the consumer not to end the subscription during the period written in the taahhütname. The provider promises a discount, extra goods or services, or another benefit in return.
The Ministry’s guide says a taahhüt is common in mobile, internet, satellite platform and cable TV subscriptions. Taahhütsüz means «without a taahhüt».
Ministry of Trade · checked 30.10.2026
24 months at most for internet.
The cap comes from the regulation on consumer rights in electronic communications. The general subscription regulation sets no limit.
Six items are written in the taahhütname.
No change against the consumer: during the term the service, its content, scope and price cannot be changed to the consumer’s disadvantage, nor can the terms of the contract or the taahhütname.
- A fixed-term subscription can be extended only with the consumer’s request or consent, asked for before the term ends.
- If the service goes on past the term without that request or consent, nothing can be asked for it.
- The end of a taahhüt does not end the subscription. The contract can run on until the consumer ends it.
Leaving early: what the rule caps
A provider may ask a fee from a consumer who ends a taahhüt before the term is over, except in the cases the rules set. People call it cayma bedeli. The rule works out two sums, and the lower one is the most that can be asked.
Two sums, the lower counts
- Discounts received: the sum of the discounts given to the consumer so far.
- Bills still to come: the sum of the remaining bills until the end of the term.
- The most that can be asked: the lower of the two.
- May be added: unpaid instalments or prices of a device, modem, installation, activation or similar extras given under the taahhüt.
| Leaves at the end of | Discounts received | Bills still to come | The most that can be asked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 4 | 4 × 200 TL = 800 TL | 8 × 400 TL = 3,200 TL | 800 TL, the lower |
| Month 9 | 9 × 200 TL = 1,800 TL | 3 × 400 TL = 1,200 TL | 1,200 TL, the lower |
No fee
- The consumer moves and the same service cannot in practice be given at the new address.
- For internet, the promised speed is not provided, under BTK’s rules. The price of a device is still due.
The taahhütname states how the repayment is worked out. The consumer can ask for the method and the amount in writing.
Ending the contract
The taahhüt ends, the contract does not
When a taahhüt runs out, the subscription can go on. To end it, the consumer sends a termination notice (fesih) in writing or on a durable medium.
- Notice The notice goes to the provider in writing, or by SMS, e-mail or the internet. By phone it is possible when the security steps are in place. Ending cannot be made harder than making the contract was: a consumer who signed up online cannot be forced to go to a branch or a notary.
- 7 days The provider has to carry out the termination within 7 days of the notice reaching it. If it does not, nothing more can be asked of the consumer, even if the consumer kept using the service.
- 15 days Within 15 days of the termination date the provider returns the unused part of anything paid in advance and any deposit (güvence bedeli). When a taahhüt ended early, the early-leaving fee worked out under the rules may be set off against that refund.
- Channels in electronic communications
- Writing; fax; secure electronic signature; e-Devlet, the state’s online portal; the provider’s online transaction centre; registered e-mail; customer services.
A bill goes unpaid: what can happen to the service?
In electronic communications the service may be limited or stopped when a bill is not paid. A fee for closing and reopening has to be announced in advance, and none can be charged for the first closing and reopening in a calendar year.
Late payment
Late-payment interest in electronic communications cannot exceed the rate set under the public receivables law.
The other monthly bill of a flat: Electricity Bills in Turkey.
Speed and faults: a defective service
A service that does not match the contract is called ayıplı hizmet, a defective service. The Ministry’s guide gives as examples a service that does not start on the agreed date, is delivered in part or differs from its description, is not provided at the promised speed, quality or content, or has outages or access problems.
Redo the service
The provider does the service again and bears the costs.
Free repair
Repair of the result of the service, free of charge.
A price cut
A cut in the price in proportion to the defect.
Withdraw
Withdrawal from the contract.
The consumer chooses one of the four. Compensation under the Code of Obligations can be asked for as well.
- Time
- A redo or repair that causes no disproportionate difficulty is carried out within 30 working days at the most. After that the consumer can use the other rights.
- Refund
- On withdrawal or a price cut the money is returned at once.
- Planned outages
- Their start and end dates are announced at least 48 hours ahead, in writing, on a durable medium or through the press.
- A wrong bill
- An objection goes to the provider within 1 year of the bill’s date. The provider answers within 30 days, in writing or on a durable medium.
- Speed
- A speed that is not provided as promised can count as a defect. For internet it can also end a taahhüt without the early-leaving fee. BTK has a speed-test app for phones: BTK speed test.
Where to complain, in order
- 1 · The provider Write to the provider and keep the answer. A bill can be objected to within 1 year of its date.
- 2 · BTK or the Ministry BTK’s consumer contact centre answers on 120, and BTK’s home page carries a complaint form (Tüketici Şikayeti Gönder). The Ministry of Trade runs ALO 175, its consumer advice line.
- 3 · Under 186,000 TL An application to a consumer arbitration board (tüketici hakem heyeti) is compulsory. Its members come from the municipality, the bar, tradespeople and consumer groups, and the provincial trade director or the district governor chairs it.
- 4 · 186,000 TL or more A board cannot take the case. Mediation comes first, then the consumer court. The limit is the one for 2026.
- How to apply
- In person or through a lawyer: by hand, by post, or online through e-Devlet (the system is called TÜBİS). An oral application is not possible.
- Where
- At the board where the consumer lives or where the deal was made.
- Details
- A written petition with any evidence; the form is on the Ministry of Trade’s website. A foreigner gives a passport number or a yabancı kimlik numarası, a foreigner ID number.
- Decision
- Within 6 months, up to 3 months more. The decision binds both sides. An objection goes to the board or the consumer court within 2 weeks of the notice. Consumers pay no court fee at that stage, but an expense advance is due.
- Follow-up
- The application can be followed through TÜBİS on e-Devlet.
The wider procedure and other kinds of purchase: Consumer Protection in Turkey.
The market in numbers
BTK counts subscriptions every quarter and publishes the figures with the change on the same quarter of the year before. A subscriber, in BTK’s definition, is a consumer who is party to a contract with an operator for an electronic communications service. The figures are those of 2026 Q2, the second quarter, against 2025 Q2.
BTK · 2026 Q2
100.8 million broadband subscriptions.
78.9 million of them are mobile-phone internet (+4.1 %), and 0.8 million are mobile-computer internet (−9.4 %).
21.2 million are the other four rows added together: xDSL, fibre, cable and other (added up from BTK’s figures).
50.5 % of those 21.2 million are fibre (added up from BTK’s figures).
418 operators were active in electronic communications, against 405 a year before.
| Row | 2026 Q2 | 2025 Q2 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband, total | 100,846,626 | 97,361,083 | +3.6 % |
| Mobile-phone internet | 78,888,110 | 75,784,682 | +4.1 % |
| Mobile-computer internet | 768,955 | 848,732 | −9.4 % |
| xDSL | 8,000,522 | 9,607,418 | −16.7 % |
| Fiber | 10,698,289 | 8,770,569 | +22.0 % |
| Kablo · cable | 1,497,363 | 1,462,907 | +2.4 % |
| Diğer · other | 993,387 | 886,775 | +12.0 % |
A phone bought abroad: Phone Registration in Turkey.
Words to use with the provider
Ten lines to ask or say
- Bu adreste fiber altyapı var mı?Is there fibre infrastructure at this address?
- Taahhütsüz paket var mı?Is there a package without a taahhüt?
- Taahhüt süresi kaç ay?How many months is the taahhüt?
- Cayma bedeli nasıl hesaplanıyor?How is the early-leaving fee worked out?
- Modem kimin?Whose is the modem?
- Sözleşmenin ve taahhütnamenin bir örneğini istiyorum.I would like a copy of the contract and the taahhütname.
- Taşınıyorum. Hizmet yeni adreste aynı nitelikte sunulabiliyor mu?I am moving. Can the service be given at the new address in the same way?
- Hızım taahhüt edilen hızın altında.My speed is below the promised speed.
- Faturama itiraz ediyorum.I object to my bill.
- Aboneliğimi sonlandırmak istiyorum.I want to end my subscription.
- altyapı · santral · saha dolabı
- Infrastructure · telephone exchange · street cabinet.
- abonelik sözleşmesi · taahhütname
- Subscription contract · the paper that holds a taahhüt.
- taahhüt · taahhütsüz
- A promise to stay for a discount · without a taahhüt.
- cayma bedeli · fesih
- The early-leaving fee · termination.
- güvence bedeli · ayıplı hizmet
- Deposit · defective service.
- tüketici hakem heyeti · yabancı kimlik numarası
- Consumer arbitration board · foreigner ID number.
Sources and limits
- Abonelik Sözleşmeleri Hakkında Bilgilendirme — Ministry of Trade, consumer guide, page dated 15.06.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- Tüketici Hakem Heyetleri Hakkında Bilgilendirme — Ministry of Trade, consumer guide, page dated 22.01.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- Tüketici Hakem Heyetlerine Başvurularda 2026 Yılı Parasal Değerleri Yeniden Belirlendi — Ministry of Trade, news of 29.12.2025, checked 30.10.2026
- Tüketici Bilgi Rehberi — Ministry of Trade, consumer guide index, checked 30.10.2026
- Alo 175 Tüketici Danışma Hattı — Ministry of Trade, home page, checked 30.10.2026
- İletişim Hizmetleri İstatistikleri — BTK, statistics page, checked 30.10.2026
- 2026 (2.Çeyrek) İstatistik (PDF) — BTK, file dated 30.09.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- 2026 (2.Çeyrek) Meta Veri (DOCX) — BTK, checked 30.10.2026
- Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu — BTK, home page (line 120, complaint form), checked 30.10.2026
- Hız Testi Uygulama — BTK, checked 30.10.2026
Limits: the rules are those of the Ministry of Trade’s guides on the dates checked. BTK rules, contract terms and the yearly limits change, and a general rule may not fit one contract. The plain meanings of xDSL, fiber, kablo, santral and saha dolabı are word glosses, not BTK definitions. Sums marked «added up from BTK’s figures» are arithmetic on BTK’s rows. Months in the coupon book other than the Ministry’s two are worked out by the same rule. The photographs show cabinets, an exchange and a switchboard in other countries and a museum; none is presented as a Turkish provider’s equipment. No provider is named or recommended, and no tariff or price is given.