AVEA: A Merger of Two Large GSM Operators in the Turkish Telecommunications Sector

Abstract

During the past 10 years, emerging factors such as globalization, rapid technological developments, and limited resources have created a new competitive landscape for firms. These developments forced companies to adopt several strategies to survive and excel. One of these adaptive strategies was to form alliances between companies to manage both threats and opportunities in this changed business environment. This study focuses on the merger between two GSM operators in Turkey. The newly established firm, AVEA, is an example of a successful merger in the Turkish telecommunications sector that was well thought-out, efficiently designed, and realized within a year. The most important ingredient in this process was the change in information technology (IT) infrastructures. This study, primarily concerned with the structural changes in the IT department, presents a detailed analysis of the merger process’s different aspects and comments based on literature review about information and communication technologies.