We Asked BTK: Is eSIM Usage Blocked in Turkey?

Smartphone prices in Turkey are increasing almost every day. Unfortunately, this situation, which is caused by high taxes, dollar exchange rate and inflation, also increases the use of phones abroad. Instead of buying flagship models from Turkey, people especially benefit from the 120-day usage period by buying them from abroad for half the price.

Moreover, with the dual SIM feature of the flagship devices in question, it can be used for approximately eight months without IMEI registration, in the form of 120 + 120 days. The only problem here is that in most modern phones the second phone is eSIM. Due to the regulations in Turkey, you need to go to the dealer to get an eSIM and complete the transactions there.

However, it is known that the Republic of Türkiye is disturbed by the use of phones abroad. For this reason, IMEI registration fees have increased significantly in the recent past. However, this time, users started to settle for eight months of usage rights instead of registering their phones. The remaining 120 days were spent with a second phone call.

A claim made on social media claimed that BTK took action against eSIM to prevent this. Accordingly, BTK “closed the transition to eSim to prevent illegal use.” The rumors spread. So, was eSIM really turned off to prevent the use of foreign phones? Here are the details!

BTK Did Not Close and Prevent eSIM Usage

If you have obtained all the necessary information on the subject, “Has BTK closed the use of eSIM?” We can give a clear answer to the question. No, there is no such decision taken by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority. eSIM is a technology that can still be actively used in Turkey and has no legal obstacles. Well, if you ask where these claims come from, it’s a bit complicated.

Following the allegations, we, as Tamindir.com, contacted BTK and confirmed that there was no such decision. Immediately afterwards, we met with some operator dealers to investigate the source of the problem. The response we received from some revealed the source of the problem. Accordingly, there are no problems with eSIM. However, dealers do not want to do this due to the system.

Apparently, some changes have been made for security purposes regarding the transition to eSIM. For example, if your identity has changed since the date you received your line and there are some differences in the version you convey to the operator, the system “troubles” you for security purposes. During these processes, which can take up to 1-2 hours, you may even need to record a video and upload it to the relevant operator’s system.

As you can imagine, many businesses do not want to deal with a single customer’s business for several hours. For this very reason, some people make statements such as “the system is closed, BTK made these things difficult, they finished eSIM” and almost put the blame on someone else. So are these new security measures really necessary?

The answer to this question is definitely yes. Nowadays, we use SMS verification for security in many matters, from our social media accounts to financial transactions. However, fraudsters create fake IDs through illegal methods such as identity theft and issue an eSIM or twin SIM through your existing line.

This allows access to everything from mobile banking to cryptocurrency and even your social media accounts. Unfortunately, in such a situation, very serious damage can occur. Still, security measures need to be taken without making it difficult for citizens to access critical technology.

So what do you think about this issue? Do you think BTK is targeting fraudsters or people using international phones with the security measures it has taken? You can share your opinions with us in the comments section.