Bezeq has also shown interest in the company, in anticipation of the opening up of the local market to competition.
International telecommunications company Barak is in advanced negotiations to buy 49% of the shares in portal IOL, owned by the Ha’aretz group, fax-newspaper "paper Tiger" reported today. According to the report, Barak is at the stage of checking IOL’s value, which is estimated at $15 million.
Clalcom, which owns 44% of the shares in Barak, is also a partner with Ha’aretz in Teleclal, which operates in cooperation with IOL.
It was recently reported that Bezeq was also interested in acquiring part ownership of IOL, as part of its preparations for the age of competition. Industry sources estimate that the end of Bezeq's monopoly will lead to most competitors in telecommunications infrastructures competing in all telecommunications sectors - line telephony, international telecommunications, and Internet services. In this situation, the interest in existing Israeli portals is growing.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on March 23, 1999