Altyn Asyr (mobile operator)

Altyn Asyr Closed Joint Stock Company (Turkmen: "Altyn Asyr" ýapyk görnüşli paýdarlar jemgyýeti, means "Golden Age") is the state owned mobile operator in Turkmenistan. The company uses the TM CELL brand. In September 2013, it was the leader in the market with more than 3.5 million subscribers.[1] It is headquartered in Ashgabat.

Altyn Asyr Closed Joint Stock Company
TM CELL
TypeClosed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC)
IndustryMobile telecommunications
Founded2004
Headquarters
Ashgabat
,
Turkmenistan
Productscellular network, local telephone service, mobile television, broadband
ParentTurkmentelecom
Websitetmcell.tm
Altyn Asyr SIM-card

The company was founded through official decree by Turkmenistan leader Saparmurat Niyazov in 2004.[2]

The company has a monopoly in the mobile market in Turkmenistan.[2] The company is running by Shyhmyrat Shaharliyev, a member of Turkmenistan dictator Serdar Berdimuhamedov's family.[2] The shareholders of the company are not publicly disclosed.[2] Telecommunications are closely monitored and censored in Turkmenistan.[2] Despite considerable investment by Turkmen authoritarian regime into the company, the services provided by the company have been described as poor.[2]

History

The company was established in August 2004.[2] In the same year, the company became a member of the GSMA, where it was registered under the number 438 02. The operator became a structural unit of the Turkmentelecom which in turn is fully owned by the Ministry of Communications (Turkmenistan).[3][4]

The equipment for the initial 50,000 subscribers was supplied by Siemens. Equipment for 25 thousand numbers has been installed in Ashgabat (including Archabil District), Ahal Region (Ak Bugday, Ruhabat, Geoktepe Districts) and Abadan. The rest of the equipment with a total capacity of 25 thousand numbers was installed in the regional centers of Turkmenistan.

In 2010, Altyn Asyr was the first in Turkmenistan to launch a 3G network of the UMTS standard. In April 2010, the number of abonents of Altyn Asyr reached 500 thousand.[5]

A new administrative building was inaugurated in October 2012. The four storey building accommodates 350 staff members.[6]

Since 2012, the company has been providing international roaming services in foreign countries.

On September 18, 2013 the operator launched LTE.[7] At the end of September 2014, the company introduced VoLTE.[8]

Altyn Asyr's main competitor in Turkmenistan are Ashgabat City Telephone Network.

Operations

Altyn Asyr in Turkmenisatn is a mobile network operator providing services under the standards GSM, 3G and LTE. Apart from cellular network, the company also offers local telephone service,[9] broadband, mobile television.[10]

Subscriber numbers

Altyn Asyr has 5 network codes: 61, 62, 63, 64, 65. Telephone numbers in the international format are +99361xxxxxx, +99362xxxxxx, +99363xxxxxx, +99364xxxxxx, +99365xxxxxx.

Subscribers benefit from core services (voice communications, data transfer, SMS, MMS, voice mail, etc.)

Number of subscribers
DateSubscribers
April 20051,500 [3]
March 200620,000 [11]
April 2010500,000 [12]
June 20122,600,000 [13]
October 20123,000,000 [14]
September 20133,500,000 [15]

Sponsorship

The operator Altyn Asyr is a shirt sponsor of the football club Altyn Asyr FK since its inception. TM CELL name located on the front of the team's shirts.[16]

References
  1. "We are three and half million of people". Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  2. Kupfer, Ruslan Myatiev, Bayram Shikhmuradov, and Matthew. "One Family's 'Golden Age': President's Relative Controls Turkmenistan's Only Mobile Operator". OCCRP. Retrieved 2022-04-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Turkmenistan introduces national GSM cellular communication network". Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  4. "Туркменистан приступил к внедрению национальной системы сотовой связи стандарта GSM". www.turkmenistan.ru.
  5. "Число абонентов оператора сотовой связи «Алтын Асыр» достигло полумиллиона". www.turkmenistan.ru.
  6. "Administrative building of national cellular operator "Altyn Asyr" inaugurated in Ashgabat". www.turkmenistan.ru. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  7. "TMCELL starts to connect the subscribers to the LTE network". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  8. "Altyn Asyr introduces voice over LTE". Telecompaper. 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
  9. "TMCELL Ýapyk görnüşli paýdarlar jemgyýeti".
  10. "TMCELL Ýapyk görnüşli paýdarlar jemgyýeti".
  11. "Turkmen president urges minister of communications to lower tariffs for mobile services". www.turkmenistan.ru. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  12. "Number of subscribers of "Altyn Asyr" cellular communication operator reached half a million". www.turkmenistan.ru.
  13. "Turkmenistan's national cellular communication network provides services to more than 2,600 million subscribers". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  14. "Number of subscribers to national cellular communication operator "Altyn Asyr" exceeded 3 million". www.turkmenistan.ru. Archived from the original on 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  15. "TMCELL - We are three and half million of people". Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  16. "the-afc.com".
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