Xfone, owned by Hezi Bezalel, will become Israel's sixth mobile phone operator.
Israeli telecom company Xfone 018, owned by businessman Hezi Bezalel, will be granted a mobile phone operator's license in the coming few days from Acting Minister of Communications Tzachi Hanegbi. This will make Xfone, the sixth player in Israel mobile phone market (not including mobile virtual network operators MVNOs companies) through its network sharing agreement with Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL).
Xfone has won frequencies for 4G services as part of frequency tenders issued in 2015 but has so far yet to use the frequencies. Last year, he considered buying Golan telecom but pulled out of the race to buy the mobile operator. But at the same time he completed a network sharing agreement with Cellcom, which has enabled him to enter the market. This means that both Xfone and Golan Telecom, which was eventually acquired by Electra Consumer Products Ltd. (TASE:ECP) will be sharing Cellcom's network.
Xfone should be awarded its license on Thursday after it has met all its commitments to the Ministry of Communications including a deposit of NIS 100 million for the frequencies.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 18, 2017
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Hezi Bezalel