KKTC Telsim

Vodafone Mobile Operations Ltd. or legally KKTC Telsim is the first GSM operator in Northern Cyprus. It was granted a licence in August 1995, and started service accepting subscribers on 23 October 1995. The company was a subsidiary of Telsim Group in Turkey, part of the Uzan Group. When Telsim was taken over by the Vodafone Group on 23 August 2006, it became a subsidiary of the global Vodafone Group. The company still operates under the brand KKTC Telsim in Northern Cyprus, although in Turkey Telsim has been rebranded Vodafone. This is due to Vodafone Group having a partnership agreement with the Cytamobile-Vodafone network in the Republic of Cyprus. The exclusive agreement on the use of the Vodafone brand name covers the entire territory claimed by Republic of Cyprus, thus including Northern Cyprus so the use of the Vodafone brand by a company other than Cytamobile is not allowed on the entire island. KKTC Telsim also provides Vodafone TV service in North Cyprus.