28 Jun 2011Cyprus Broadband Overview

Despite the deregulation of the telecoms sector in 2002, competition was very limited in the Cypriot telecoms market up until 2004. By September 2004 the incumbent operator, Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA), held a 100 per cent share of the Cypriot broadband market while other ISPs were only offering narrowband services. Since then, more companies have expanded their services to include high-speed Internet access in order to compete with the incumbent. CYTA itself has expanded and invested in network development, and has set itself the target of connecting all rural areas of Cyprus to the broadband network by end-2010.

Fresh impetus for the Cypriot telecommunications market came from the northern part of the island in autumn 2010. The Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Kucuk announced that the privatisation of fixed telecoms services in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (formally recognised by Turkey alone), is being focused on. Current prices in the northern part of the island under Turkish Cypriot control are reportedly several times higher than equivalent services in the south provided by CYTA. Three companies are present in Turkish-controlled Cyprus, namely Turkcell, Vodafone and Turk Telekom.