Telefonica Germany and Turkish operator Turk Telekom have joined forces to offer communications services targeted at Germany’s large Turkish population. The alliance will be a competitor to Turkey’s Turkcell, which last month launched as a MVNO in Germany on Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile network. The “strategic partnership” will combine the two companies’ “fixed and mobile services, content, applications, distribution and brands,” said a statement today. Turk Telekom owns Turkey’s Avea mobile brand, while Telefonica owns O2 Germany. “By cooperating with Turk Telekom and Avea, we are able to offer the millions of Turks in Germany and in their home country propositions exactly tailored to their needs,” said René Schuster, CEO of Telefonica Germany. The first services are due to launch this Summer and will be marketed in both countries.

Turkcell has agreed a 5-year wholesale deal to use T-Mobile’s 3G network as part of its MVNO offering and is targeting close to a 4 percent share of the German market. According to Wireless Intelligence data, Germany already has over 100 MVNOs in the market, including several that are focused on migrants. There are an estimated 3.5 million Turks living in Germany and this community has been a key focus for operators. Vodafone – which has networks in both Germany and Turkey – has preferential roaming rates for calls between the two countries.