Cellcom is about to launch roaming services in the US under its Cellcom Overseas Service. As of next week, Israeli subscribers will be able to use their Cellcom hand-sets for making calls to and from the US by dialing the Israeli number of their hand-set.
Cellcom’s roaming service will first apply to 21 states in the US, including New York, Florida, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. The service will be extended to additional areas. In other US states, the company maintains its old Cellcom Abroad Service, etching a US number in the subscriber’s hand-set, so that it may be used in the US.
The new service required sweeping preparations, including completion of engineering deployment and physical linkup between Cellcom’s communications switches to the switches of US networks. The connection among TDMA-based digital networks enables mobility among networks. Cellcom also expanded its infrastructure and roaming agreements with US telecommunications operators, notably AT&T Wireless.
Cellcom plans to expand its roaming services to Canada and South American countries as well. According to Cellcom deputy general manager Oren Most, Cellcom invested more than $1 million this year in marketing its Cellcom Service.
Published by Israel's Business Arena July 7, 1999