History
The company was established in August 2004.[2] In the same year, the company became a member of the GSMA, where it was registered under the number 438 02. The operator became a structural unit of the Turkmentelecom, which in turn is fully owned by the Ministry of Communications.[3][4]
The equipment for the initial 50,000 subscribers was supplied by Siemens. Equipment for 25 thousand numbers has been installed in Ashgabat (including Archabil District), Ahal Region (Ak Bugday, Ruhabat, Geoktepe Districts) and Abadan. 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 of the UMTS standard. In April 2010, the number of abonents of Altyn Asyr reached 500 thousand.[5]
A new administrative building was inaugurated in October 2012. The four storey building accommodates 350 staff members.[6]
Since 2012, the company has been providing international roaming services in foreign countries.
On September 18, 2013, the operator launched LTE.[7] At the end of September 2014, the company introduced VoLTE.[8]
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.[9]
Altyn Asyr's main competitor in Turkmenistan is the Ashgabat City Telephone Network.
