Bezeq Israel Telecommunications Company Ltd. (TASE:BZEQ) unit Pelephone Communications Ltd. is attempting to persuade the Ministry of Communications that it should be allowed to acquire its competitor Mirs Communications Ltd..
As the third largest player in Israel's cellular market behind Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR), Pelephone sees the planned sale of Mirs by Motorola as a unique opportunity to strengthen its position in the sector. Bezeq's shareholders are reportedly eager for the purchase to go ahead.
Pelephone will try to persuade both the Ministry of Communications and the Antitrust Authority that allowing a buyer for Mirs to come from outside of the market will reduce the likelihood of an additional operator bidding to set up the planned new network in Israel.
However, if Pelephone is allowed to bid then both Cellcom and Partner are also expected to demand the right to acquire Mirs.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 18, 2009
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