New Requirements For OTTs In Turkey

The Amendment Law on the Media Law and Other Laws ("Amendment Law") was published in the Official Gazette on 18 October 2022.

The Amendment Law incorporated significant amendments to the Electronic Communications Law w. no. 5809 ("Electronic Communications Law") and adds the definition of the "over-the-top service" ("OTT") as "interpersonal electronic communication services within the scope of audio, written and visual communication, presented (i) to subscribers and users with internet access, (ii) independently from the operators or the provided internet service, (iii) via a software open to the public".

With the amendments, OTT service providers are included to the service providers that are required to obtain authorization from the regulator body of the telecommunication in Turkey, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority ("Authority").