ANKARA, June 14, 2006 - Skype, the global internet communications company, has boosted its presence in the Turkish market by partnering with local Internet services firm e-kolay.net. Dubbed e-kolay-Skype, the new offering combines Skype’s free Internet calling and premium features with e-kolay’s popular news and entertainment services to reach a potential audience of millions of Turkish-speakers worldwide.
Skype is available worldwide and with Dogan is targeting the Internet-savvy Turkish market to expand its presence. In addition to free voice and video calls, Turkish Skype users can now purchase SkypeOut credit via the e-kolay.net website or through Dogan’s ARAKart to make cheap calls to landlines and mobile phones. Moreover, they can check out the latest news, football scores and celebrity mishaps from within the Skype application.
“Turkey’s Internet community has exploded in the past few years and now numbers more than 10 million people,” said James Bilefield, Skype’s General Manager in Europe. “We think they’ll like what Skype can do for them. With e-kolay, we’re able to target Turkish speakers all over the world and grow our user base in that community. Our free calls and low-cost SkypeOut features will make it much easier for to keep in touch with family and friends in Turkey and the world over.”
“It’s a big world out there, but with nearly 75 million people, Turkey is glad to have Skype’s attention,” said Orhan Göksal, CEO of Doğan Online, which is part of Doğan Media Group, e-kolay’s parent company. “I’m sure the Turkish Internet community will find Skype a great offering. People will enjoy the fact that it’s “free” to make Skype to Skype calls, or very inexpensive, when using SkypeOut to call landlines and mobiles, or to send SMS text messages.”
To become a Skype user, visit www.e-kolay.net/skype to sign up. The first 100,000 people will get a surprise gift from e-kolay. Once you’re all set, you can talk to other Skype users anywhere for as long as you like, for free.
About Skype
Skype is the world’s fastest-growing Internet communication offering, allowing people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video communication for free between the users of Skype software. Skype is available in 27 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Skype also has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers. Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). To learn more visit skype.com.
Skype is not a replacement for your ordinary telephone and cannot be used for emergency calling.
About e-kolay.net
Founded in 1999 within Doğan Media Group, e-kolay.net provides news, entertainment and other Internet services to consumers and business customers alike. e-kolay.net has 240,000 subscribers and a diverse portfolio of corporate clients. e-kolay.net reaches users via channels such as Mahmure.com, fanatik.com.tr, e-kolay.net Cinema, and e-kolay.net City Guide, as well as e-commerce sites such as gezisitesi.com, bigpara.com, and HemAlHemSat.com.
About Doğan Telekom
Doğan Telekom, operating under Doğan Media Holding umbrella, received A-type Long Distance Phone Services after the voice transfer and telephone services were liberalized as of January 1st, 2004. With its robust infrastructure, the company offers a high-quality alternative to current telephone services. Doğan Telekom aims to make life easier for individuals and to be the leader of the industry by providing affordable and high-quality international calls thanks to its high availability.
