The north’s first 4G mobile network is set to be switched on Thursday, with the north’s ‘government’ set to earn 1.25 billion TL (€43 million) from the associated tendering process.

‘Public works minister’ Erhan Arikli said the north’s 3G network has been in place since 2008, and said “due to some bureaucratic problems, we could not make the transition to 4G”.

He added that the move to 4G was in line with “the fast internet demands of young people, tourists, and businessmen who mostly work in home offices”.

He also said that the north “has caught up with the times in communication technology”.

Of the tendering process, he said two contracts were awarded, the first to KKTCell, the north’s subsidiary of Turkcell, and the second to Telsim, the north’s subsidiary of Vodafone.

“Payments [to the ‘government’] have started within the scope of the tender. At the end of the day, 1.25 billion TL will enter the TRNC state treasury,” he said, adding that KKTCell customers will have access to 4G from Thursday, and Telsim customers from November.

“Within the scope of the tender, the transition to 5G must take place within five years.”

4G mobile internet has been available in the Republic since 2015, with 5G first introduced in 2021.