The service will provide GSM operators without roaming service agreements with services based on Cellcom’s agreements.
Israeli wireless company Cellcom is finding new sources of revenue outside the Israeli wireless market. The company announced today that it would cooperate with Starhome in providing roaming services to global system for mobiles (GSM) operators around the world.
The service is designed for GSM operators who lack roaming service agreements, and are therefore unable to enable their subscribers to roam overseas with their telephones. Lack of this infrastructure also prevents operators from hosing tourists on their wireless networks. The service will provide these operators with transparent worldwide roaming capacity, and enable them to host tourists in their country, using Cellcom’s 441 roaming agreements, which are spread over 163 countries. Wireless sector sources estimated that Cellcom’s revenue from this service would reach NIS 5 million in the first year, while costs would be negligible.
Cellcom and Starhome are launching the service in Liberia with a local operator named Celcom (not related to the Israeli Cellcom). Cellcom said that the launch has been deliberately timed to coincide with the swearing in of Liberia’s new president. Thousands of guests from all over the world will attend the ceremony. Cellcom and Starhome expect to announce the launching of the service in other locations soon.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 11, 2006