Turkmenistan: MTS phone operator suspends services Nov. 21

Event

As of Tuesday, November 21, Russia’s top mobile phone operator MTS has suspended its services in Turkmenistan after the state telecommunications provider cut it off from its network for reasons that remain unclear. Telecommunications services are reportedly extremely limited,  as the only other available network provider, Altyn Asyr, does not offer a roaming service and has a relatively poor network quality. It is unclear when or if MTS services will resume.

Context

MTS ended services in Turkmenistan in 2010 when its license was suspended for reasons that the company said “were never fully justified.” However, it returned to the Turkmen market in 2012.

Advice

Individuals present in Turkmenistan are advised to anticipate disruptions to mobile phone services.