Cyprus and the Internet: The Fibre Promise, a Delayed Reality, and a Dangerous Protocol

Calling our island’s internet outdated wouldn’t be wrong. Why? I was in secondary school and we had 10 Mbit. I went to high school and we still had 10 Mbit. I went to university and, finally, in some areas we could climb to 30s and 50s. Meanwhile, other countries were already talking about 100 and 1000, and today some European countries are talking about 10,000 Mbit.

But they’re Europe, we’re… us. Anyway. Let’s look at the other side of the island: in the Republic of Cyprus, 5,000 Mbit packages have started to be offered—great development, congratulations. So why don’t we have it? We just don’t. Anyway.

Do We Need to Find Someone to Blame?

I don’t think so. Blaming is easy: ISPs didn’t invest—did they want to but couldn’t, or did they not bother because they were happy with revenues? We can’t be sure.

But I’ve heard this before: one big obstacle to pulling fibre to a location was that after ISPs built fibre infrastructure, it would be transferred to the state telecom authority. In other words, you make the investment but you can’t keep ownership. That’s why, instead of pulling fibre, some turned to “this antenna, that antenna—like fibre” solutions, from what I’ve heard.

Or, to cut costs, more customers than recommended are connected to antennas, and then an unbelievably poor service follows. Fighting doesn’t solve it. Then you say: “We have an authority, BTHK, I’ll go there for a solution.”

You email—no reply. You call—“You need to come here in person to file a complaint.” So I should leave Karpaz and come to Nicosia just to submit a complaint, right?

In my personal view, not every ISP is blameless. But that’s not a blanket statement either. I know some ISPs invest seriously in technology. Even if they don’t market it much—whether it’s content caching servers or network modernisation—there is quiet, solid work being done. At this point, fibre has been turned into an election tool. It’s promised in every election period and forgotten as soon as the election passes.

Why Is the Internet So Important Today?

If we look at the younger generation, we see freelance work culture has increased massively. We now see remote video editors, graphic designers, and software developers. Not only that—there’s been a noticeable growth of small software companies on the island. On top of this, e-sports and online broadcasting are growing fast. All of this requires a stable—meaning consistent and reliable—connection.

But unfortunately, if you try to provide internet by installing wireless antennas on everyone’s homes, the spectrum in the air isn’t unlimited. It’s like a road where too many cars enter at the same time: once capacity is full, everyone slows down. Today the internet is not just a tool for consumption—it’s also a tool for production. Young people selling software, or creators who want to produce digital content and livestream on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Kick—all of them need uninterrupted and fast internet.

And we, as the North of the island, are failing at this.

According to the Speedtest Global Index January 2026 report, the global average for fixed broadband is 118 Mbit download and 58 Mbit upload. We look at Cyprus—sorry, we can’t. Because in BTHK’s most up-to-date data, the 2025 Q3 market report, it only says “10 Mbit and above” and does not break it down further. So in the North, 55.49% of users use 10 Mbit and above, but we don’t know how many use what speed. We’re talking about speeds that don’t even reach a third of the global average—and we can’t even measure them properly. That is the island’s data-gap and transparency problem in a nutshell, but that’s a topic for another article.

Who Is Türk Telekom and Why Does It Want to Come to Cyprus?

When we first heard about fibre, I think it was 2014. Then we heard it again in 2019. And now it’s on the agenda again: 2025—“Türk Telekom is bringing fibre.”

First, let’s understand: who is Türk Telekom?

Türk Telekom is a technology and telecommunications company that operates a large part of Türkiye’s fixed communications infrastructure. It was established in 1995 after telecom services were separated from the state institution PTT. In 2005, under privatisation, the majority stake was transferred to the private sector; later, shares moved to banks after shareholders who could not repay debts lost control; and in 2022 it was taken over by the Türkiye Wealth Fund, returning it to effective state control.

So why Cyprus? Honestly, it’s a logical commercial move. The island is small, but there is a serious infrastructure gap—and that gap represents a large market. Given the existing political and economic ties with Türkiye, entering Northern Cyprus is both strategic and relatively easy. And as a state-controlled company, it can now operate not only with profit motives but also with broader strategic motivations.

So Why Is This Problematic?

Here is the core issue.

The TRNC government signed a fibre-optic protocol that transfers the island’s phone and internet infrastructure to Türk Telekom. In other words, the fibre infrastructure that should be operated by the TRNC Telecommunications Department is being handed to a single company without any tender process and without conditions. Opposition parties, unions, and professional organisations mobilised. TEL-SEN, TÜRK-SEN, and KTAMS were on their feet; CTP and TDP protested in front of parliament. A tower strike even began at Ercan Airport and flights were briefly disrupted. The scale of the issue is this big.

And what those opposing it say is clear: “We are not, in principle, against fibre coming to the island or against Türk Telekom. We are against the procedure.”

I agree.

There are operators that, for better or worse, have carried the island’s internet to where it is today. Yes, we complained about all of them—some because sitting under an antenna meant you could ‘pull’ the neighbour’s speed, others because customer services told them “come in person to complain.” Valid criticisms. But there are also operators that genuinely invest in technology and keep working quietly. The biggest injustice to them is this: a long-neglected infrastructure problem, used as political material for years, is now being ‘solved’ not through a transparent tender process, but through a behind-closed-doors protocol that hands the entire solution to one company.

Instead of fixing the playing field, you shut down the game.

What this will do to the sector is obvious. Why should a local operator that invests in technology continue investing if the market is effectively being closed? If competition ends, the logic of investment disappears. This protocol may bring fibre in the short term; but in the long term it can become the most effective way to destroy the island’s own telecom capacity, human capital, and sectoral competition.

To Those Who Say “We Can’t Do It Anyway”

There’s also this line that sometimes appears in these debates—one that sounds like humility but is actually deeply destructive: “We can’t do it anyway.”

No. That is a very wrong way of thinking.

Turkish Cypriots have always done what they could within the possibilities available—and they still can. Look around the world: there are dozens of Turkish Cypriots contributing to science, shaping technology, and holding senior positions in global companies. And where are most of them? Abroad. Because here, “we can’t do it” was said, and these people were pushed away from the island—or had to leave.

There’s a concrete technology example too: in 2009, KKTCELL carried out LTE trials on the island. LTE—4G—was extremely advanced for that time. So technical capacity existed, and the will existed. What happened? It hit political obstacles, was delayed, and while other countries made 4G normal, we were still debating it. Let’s hope the same won’t happen with 5G… hopefully.

The issue is not capacity. It’s political will and a fair environment. When the right conditions exist—when a transparent competitive environment is built—Turkish Cypriot engineers, developers, and entrepreneurs can build this infrastructure, operate it, and improve it. Not “we can’t do it,” but “it wasn’t left to us” is far more accurate.

Conclusion

I want fibre. I want speed. I want reliable, stable, affordable internet—everyone does.

But the right path is a transparent tender process, active oversight by BTHK, and an environment where existing operators can compete. Handing the ‘big slice’ to one side politically—without a tender and without conditions—is not fair, and in the long run it harms the island.

Let fibre come—but not like this.

Glossary of Terms

Mbit (Megabit): A unit used to measure internet speed. The bigger the number, the faster the internet.

ISP (Internet Service Provider): Companies that sell you an internet connection at home or at work.

Fibre Optic: Internet infrastructure where data is transmitted through thin strands of glass or plastic at near-light speed. Compared to wireless antennas it is much faster, much more stable, and not affected by weather conditions.

BTHK (Information Technologies and Communication Authority): The state body responsible for regulating and supervising the internet and telecommunications sector on the island.

Content Caching Server: Local infrastructure that allows platforms like Netflix or YouTube to deliver data directly from the island instead of from Türkiye—improving speed and reducing latency.

Türkiye Wealth Fund: A state fund that manages the Turkish state’s holdings in major companies. Since 2022, Türk Telekom has been effectively under state control via this fund.

LTE (4G): Fourth-generation mobile internet technology. Compared to 3G, it provides a much faster and more stable connection.