Altyn Asyr CJSC ( Turkmen: , ) is the state owned

mobile operator A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a mobile network provider, mobile network carrier, mobile , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, wireless operator, wireless telco, or cellular company, is a telecommunications provider of se ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

. The company uses the TM CELL brand as its trade name. In September 2017, it had more than 5,5 million subscribers. It is headquartered in

Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 ...

. The company was founded through official decree by Turkmenistan leader

Saparmurat Niyazov Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006) was a Turkmenistani politician who led Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was the Secretary (title), first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenist ...

in 2004. The company has a monopoly in the mobile market in Turkmenistan. The company is headed by Shyhmyrat Shaharliyev, a member of Turkmen president Serdar Berdimuhamedov's family. The shareholders of the company are not publicly disclosed. Telecommunications are closely monitored and censored in Turkmenistan. Despite considerable investment by Turkmen authoritarian regime into the company, the services provided by the company have been described as poor.

History

The company was established in August 2004. In the same year, the company became a member of the

GSMA The GSM Association (GSMA) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit trade association that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the bro ...

, where it was registered under the number ''438 02''. The operator became a structural unit of the

Turkmentelecom Turkmentelecom () is a national telecommunications company in Turkmenistan founded on April 7, 1993. The head office is located in the city of Ashgabat. It has branches in all regions of Turkmenistan. Turkmentelecom covers all the main target m ...

, which in turn is fully owned by the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

. The equipment for the initial 50,000 subscribers was supplied by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

. Equipment for 25 thousand numbers has been installed in

(including Archabil District),

Ahal Region Ahal Region (; from , also ) is one of five regions of Turkmenistan, provinces of Turkmenistan. It is in the south-center of the country, bordering Iran and Afghanistan along the Kopet Dag, Kopet Dag Range. Its area is and population 886,845 (20 ...

(Ak Bugday, Ruhabat, Geoktepe Districts) and

Abadan Abadan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Abadan County), Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the coun ...

. 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 3G refers to the third-generation of cellular network technology. These networks were rolled out beginning in the early 2000s and represented a significant advancement over the second-generation ( 2G), particularly in terms of data transfer s ...

of the

UMTS The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a 3G mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. UMTS uses Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) radio access technolog ...

standard. In April 2010, the number of abonents of Altyn Asyr reached 500 thousand. A new administrative building was inaugurated in October 2012. The four storey building accommodates 350 staff members. Since 2012, the company has been providing international

roaming Roaming is a wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information (''telecommunication'') between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or oth ...

services in foreign countries. On September 18, 2013, the operator launched

LTE LTE may refer to: Science and technology * LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a mobile telephony standard ** LTE Advanced, an enhancement ** LTE Advanced Pro, a further enhancement * Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers * Leukotrie ...

. At the end of September 2014, the company introduced

VoLTE Voice over Long-Term Evolution (acronym VoLTE) is an LTE high-speed wireless communication standard for voice calls and SMS using mobile phones and data terminals. VoLTE has up to three times more voice and data capacity than older 3G UMTS an ...

. In August 2024, the company stopped issuing new SIM cards, citing their absence and the lack of available numbers. Previously, queues to obtain a number stretched out for a year. Using SIM cards from operators from neighboring republics is prohibited in Turkmenistan. Altyn Asyr's main competitor in Turkmenistan is the Ashgabat City Telephone Network.

Operations

Altyn Asyr in Turkmenistan 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, broadband, and mobile television.

eSIM

In November 2023 Altyn Asyr was the first in Turkmenistan to present an opportunity to switch over to

eSIM An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a form of SIM card that is embedded directly into a device as software installed onto a eUICC chip. First released in March 2016, eSIM is a global specification by the GSMA that enables remote SIM provisioning; end ...

Subscriber numbers

Altyn Asyr has 6 network codes: 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 71. Telephone numbers in the international format are +99361xxxxxx, +99362xxxxxx, +99363xxxxxx, +99364xxxxxx, +99365xxxxxx and +99371xxxxxx. Subscribers benefit from core services (voice communications, data transfer, SMS, MMS, voice mail, etc.)

Number of subscribers

Sponsorship

The operator Altyn Asyr is a

shirt sponsor In association football, kit (also referred to as a strip or uniform) is the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The sport's rules specify the minimum kit which a player must use, and also prohibit the use of anything that is dangerou ...

of the football club

Altyn Asyr FK Football Club Altyn Asyr (), also known as Altyn Asyr Ashgabat or simply Altyn Asyr, which translates to ''Golden Century'', is a Turkmen professional football club based in Ashgabat. Founded in 2008, the club competes in the Ýokary Liga, the to ...

since its inception. TM CELL's name is located on the front of the team's shirts.

References

External links

* * {{Turkmenistan mobile phone companies Mobile phone companies of Turkmenistan Telecommunications companies of Turkmenistan Companies based in Ashgabat 2004 establishments in Turkmenistan Telecommunications companies established in 2004