A special NIS 10 million budget will be approved this year for the defense establishment to protect its systems.
Ministry of Communications director-general Ure Olenek and Ministry of Defense director-general Amos Yaron today agreed that Bluetooth service will become available on October 31, and the import of Bluetooth devices will be allowed as of that date.
Bluetooth is a universal technology adopted by the world's leading communications and hardware companies to create a worldwide standard for wireless voice and data communications over short distances from cellular telephones to mobile computers, PDAs, and other electrical appliances.
Bluetooth communicates on a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz, which has been set aside by international agreement for the use of industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM). This spectrum includes the 83.5-megahertz frequencies used by Bluetooth, wireless LAN, and microwave ovens. The problem in Israel is that electronic warfare systems use this frequency.
The Ministries of Communications and Finance agreed that a special NIS 10 million budget would be approved this year for the defense establishment to protect its systems, thereby enabling Bluetooth wireless communications services.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on September 1, 2003