The Ministry of Communications will permit Bezeq to increase the speed of its copper network to 200-250 megabit.
The Ministry of Communications is in the final stages of providing approval for Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) to upgrade its Internet network speeds to 200-250 megabit. Sources have informed "Globes" that in the past few days understanding have been reached between Bezeq and the Ministry of Communications on the matter.
Bezeq has been in talks with the Ministry of Communications for nearly three years about upgrading its B35 copper wire infrastructure which would allow it to double the speed of the Internet it provides. The Ministry of Communications has blocked this move because of Bezeq's opposition to introduce deploying a fiber optic network similar to that of its rivals Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR).
However, with incoming Minister of Communications Yoaz Hendel sees Israel's Internet work becoming more and more congested and technologically lagging, he is eager to reach an accommodation with Bezeq. For its part Bezeq is committed not to discriminate against outlying areas of Israel in favor of the center of the country and has promised that it will begin fully deploying a fiber optic network shortly after it has upgraded its copper network.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 16, 2020
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