Dai Telecom Ltd has signed an agreement with Cellcom to supply the latter with Alcatel (NYSE:ALA; Paris:CGEN) iMode handsets. The contract is reportedly for 8,000 handsets. This is Dai Telecom's first contract with an Israeli GSM operator, and the first time that Alcatel handsets will be sold in Israel.
Cellcom plans to launch iMode services in Israel between August-October 2005, with a launch date probably in August. Cellcom plans to launch four handsets made by Alcatel, Motorola (NYSE:MOT), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KSE:5930) and NEC (TSE:6701; Nasdaq:NIPNY; LSE:NEC; XETRA; AEX:NIPN). Cellcom plans to buy tens of thousands of handsets from Samsung and NEC. All the handsets will support GPRS technology, but not EDGE technology, which is scheduled to enter the market with the second stage of the launch.
Dai Telecom CEO Moty Elmalyiach said, "This is Dai Telecom's first entry into Israel's GSM market. We're quite pleased that Cellcom has chosen Alcatel's handset for its entry into iMode. I have no doubt that this is the first sign of an innovative and advanced line of handsets."
Dai Telecom, controlled by Polar Investments (TASE: PLR), won a contract to become Alcatel's exclusive representative in Israel last month. Dai Telecom has already displayed Alcatel handsets to Partner Communications (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR; LSE: PCCD) and Cellcom.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 28, 2005