Israel Proposes 3G Mobile Network Deal to Palestinians

Israel presented a proposal to the Palestinian Authority that could enable the opening of a long-awaited Palestinian 3G mobile network in Yehudah and Shomron.

Meetings held on Thursday had led to an agreement in principle and hinged on the Palestinians meeting Israeli conditions, said a spokesman for the Communications Ministry. He declined to comment on specific terms.

Palestinian mobile operators Paltel and Wataniya, still using 2G technology and losing money, are seeking to offer 3G to meet surging demand for data bandwidth through social media applications.

Under interim peace accords, Israel effectively has the final say in allocating radio frequencies for the Palestinian Authority.

In the past, Israel told the Palestinians there were not enough frequencies for 3G and that they should lease access to them from Israeli providers.

“We now have the will” for an agreement with the Palestinians, the ministry’s spokesman said.

Allam Mousa, the Palestinian minister of Telecommunications, called the new outline a “breakthrough.”

“In the last meeting, some proposals were made in accordance with our demands and some amendments were made that could be studied and that could enable us to achieve our demands,” Mousa told Reuters.

“So far there is no final agreement — it is only another round — but this round has achieved a bigger achievement than previous rounds,” he added.

The Israeli Communications Ministry this week allocated a number of high-speed 4G frequencies to Israeli mobile phone operators.

This article appeared in print on page 9 of the August 17th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.