Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has imposed access restrictions within the country on 13 eSIM providers, including Airhub, Airalo, aloSIM, BNESIM, GlobaleSIM, FlexiRoam, Holafly, Holiday eSIM, Nomad, Instabridge, Mobimatter, and Roamless.
The decision was announced by the Freedom of Expression Association and quickly became a widely discussed topic on social media, especially on the Ekşi Sözlük platform, where over 10 pages of discussion took place within a few hours.
Although BTK has not officially disclosed the reasons behind the restrictions, the move closely follows Airalo’s recent major funding round. Airalo secured $220 million in investment led by CVC, becoming the first local startup in the eSIM sector to achieve “unicorn” status globally.
The impact of these restrictions on the technology ecosystem and users remains unclear. However, limiting access to digital services raises concerns regarding technological development and user convenience in the country.
BTK has yet to provide further explanations on the matter. Users and industry representatives are awaiting transparent clarification of the reasons behind the decision and hope for the removal of these restrictions.
