Turkcell partners with Qwilt and Cisco to boost content delivery

Cisco and Qwilt have announced a new strategic partnership with Turkcell, the digital operator in Turkiye. The collaboration aims to enhance the quality and delivery capacity of digital content and applications, bringing superior streaming experiences and faster data delivery to Turkcell’s 38.2m mobile users and 3.1m fixed broadband customers, efficiently supporting growing data demands.

Turkcell’s adoption of Qwilt’s Open Edge Cloud for Content Delivery platform is powered by Open Caching and enabled with Cisco’s edge computing and networking infrastructure. The joint solution is deeply embedded and fully integrated into Turkcell’s network edge, empowering the efficient handling of larger data volumes and enhancing the overall subscriber experience. With network coverage extending to 99% of Turkiye through 9,000 towers, this deployment activates Open Caching services at multiple distributed points of presence (PoPs), equipping Turkcell to provide content publishers with the tools they need to deliver the highest quality content throughout Turkiye.

This partnership makes Turkiye a content and Internet hub and supports Turkcell Superonline’s vision of transforming ”the Silk Road into the Fiber Road.” Collaboration positions Turkcell at the forefront of content delivery, ensuring high-quality streaming and reinforcing its role as Turkiye’s leading digital services provider.

Commenting on the deal, Emre Erdem, General Manager of Turkcell Superonline, said: “Turkiye’s position as a digital bridge between East and West is getting stronger. By embracing Cisco and Qwilt’s Open Edge model, we’re fortifying our network to meet the demands of content publishers, ensuring Turkiye’s and the region’s digital population remains constantly connected, entertained, and informed. Our fiber roll-out strategy has enabled us to provide fiber internet to over 5.7m home passes across 28 cities in Turkiye, and we continue our investments to expand our infrastructure further. Additionally, in our new generation data centres, backed by international Tier 3 certifications, we provide our customers with faster and higher quality access to global content. By attracting more companies, Turkiye’s digital landscape will change for the better. This influx of attention will strengthen our existing ecosystem and serve as a crucial step towards Turkcell Superonline’s vision of positioning Turkiye as the internet and content hub of the region and transforming the Silk Road into the Fiber Road”.

Elif Yenihankaya, Director of Network Capabilities at Turkcell, commented: “Continuing its commitment to excellence, Turkcell is continuously evolving its network infrastructure. Through strategic collaboration with Cisco and Qwilt, we will extend our scope and continue to provide exceptional digital experiences to both residential and business customers across Turkiye. This deployment will allow us to meet the rising bandwidth demands and ensure a superior quality of experience for our valued customers. We are excited about the future and anticipate further partnerships with content publishers, offering enhanced capacity and consistency in content delivery across Turkiye.”

Theodore Tzevelekis, VP of Cisco, added: “Our Open Edge solution, in collaboration with Qwilt, positions Turkcell directly within the content delivery value chain and increases their monetisation opportunities. This partnership empowers Turkcell to provide high-quality streaming experiences for its customers and lays the foundation for future edge computing applications. We are delighted to welcome Turkcell to join our global partnership of service providers and are eager to contribute to delivering the highest quality digital experiences to subscribers across Turkiye.”

Alon Maor, CEO at Qwilt, noted: “Turkcell’s partnership marks the latest milestone in our mission to build the world’s largest, highest-performing all-edge network. This collaboration ensures seamless digital service delivery to millions of consumers in Turkiye. Our Open Edge CDN is embedded directly at the network edge, closer to end-users than traditional CDNs, guaranteeing users across the country experience the highest quality and fastest delivery for streaming video, online games, social media, or downloading massive files. This partnership underscores Turkcell’s dedication to investing in cutting-edge solutions and solidifies its position as Turkiye’s premier digital services provider.”

Over 175 service providers and content publishers have joined together with Qwilt to implement the Open Edge in their networks, collectively serving over 1bn unique subscribers worldwide. They include Verizon in North America, TIM Brazil and Telecom Argentina in Latin America, Airtel in India, J:COM, Link Net and PROEN in Asia-Pacific, BT in the UK, and Fastweb, Telefónica and Vodafone in EMEA. Qwilt also collaborates with five out of the top six US media companies to deliver their content via Qwilt’s global federated network.