Communications in Israel
Encyclopedia
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s system in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is the most developed in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, although it is not the biggest. Israel's system consists of Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
s, Optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
s, and Microwave radio relay.
1940s – 60s
- In 1948, the Israeli Postal Service replaced the mail service system provided during the British Mandate of Palestine.
- In 1955, Israel's first mobile post officeMobile post officeMobile post offices deliver mail and other postal services through specially equipped vehicles, such as trucks and trains.-United Kingdom:The United Kingdom pioneered the modern use of what it calls the Travelling Post Office , a railway service that operated for the first time in 1838...
began in the NegevNegevThe Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
.
- On March 24, 1966, the Israeli Educational TelevisionIsraeli Educational TelevisionThe Israeli Educational Television is a state-owned public television network which used to concentrate on producing and broadcasting programs for schoolchildren. The first Israeli children's show, featuring Kishkashta, aired on Channel 1 in the 1970s and '80s...
began broadcasting. - On May 2, 1968 the public broadcastingPublic broadcastingPublic broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
channel Channel 1Channel 1 (Israel)Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
(then-called "The Israeli Television") started broadcasting with a live broadcast of an army parade on the Israeli Independence DayYom Ha'atzmautYom Ha'atzmaut commemorates Israel's declaration of Independence in 1948. It is celebrated on 5 Iyar according to the Hebrew calendar. Yom Ha'atzmaut is preceded by Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day.-History:...
in Jerusalem.
1970s – 80s
- The Voice of PeaceVoice of PeaceVoice of Peace was an offshore radio station that served the Middle East for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace , anchored off the coast of Tel Aviv...
(Hebrew: קול השלום - Kol Hashalom) was a radio station that served Israel and the Middle East for 20 years. The station first went on the air in May 1973 from the ship MV Peace (formerly the Dutch cargo vessel MV Cito).
The 1980s brought a revolution to the communication market in Israel:
- In 1984, BezeqBezeqBezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
was established to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency, significantly reducing the waiting period for the installation of new telephone lines. - In 1986, the Israel Postal AuthorityIsrael Postal CompanyIsrael Postal Company , formerly the Israel Postal Authority, is a government-owned corporation that handles postal services in Israel....
was founded. - In 1986, PelephonePelephonePelephone is an Israeli-based telecommunications company, founded in 1986 as a joint venture between Motorola and Tadiran, today owned by Bezeq. It was the first company to offer mobile phone services in Israel. Due to this, the brand-name "Pelephone" became the genericized trademark for mobile...
(the first cellular company in Israel) was established by MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
and TadiranTadiran TelecomTadiran Telecom Ltd is a telecommunications company which offers enterprises complete converged communications solutions that support voice, data, video and advanced applications. It is represented by a global network of more than 200 distributors and affiliates in 40 countries.The corporate...
. - In October 1986, the Israeli Channel 2Channel 2 (Israel)Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
started experimental broadcasts which continued for a period of seven years. - Pirate cable TVPirate decryptionPirate decryption most often refers to the reception of compromised pay TV or pay radio signals without authorization from the original broadcaster...
arrived towards the end of the eighties.
1990s
This decade was marked by developments in cellular communicationsCellular network
A cellular network is a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver known as a cell site or base station. When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area...
, Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, commercial television
Commercial Television
Commercial Television was the third free-to-air broadcast television station in Hong Kong. It first went on air in 1975, and ceased transmissions in 1978.-History:...
, and multichannel television platform such as cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
.
Television
The Second Israeli Broadcasting AuthoritySecond Israeli Broadcasting Authority
The Second Authority for Television and Radio law was passed by the Knesset in 1990. Its purpose was to establish a new governing-body whose purpose is to facilitate and regulate commercially-operated television and radio broadcasts in Israel...
was established and the first Israeli commercial channel – Channel 2
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
began to broadcast on the November 4, 1993. This began the era of television ratings
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
in Israel. The original agreement was that the broadcasting days of the channel were distributed among three broadcasting companies in order not to have a direct competition between them.
The multichannel television platform in Israel began when the cables TV companies were established. Every company had a monopoly in a certain area of the country (according to a franchise given by the Ministry of Communications). For the first time, the Israeli public became exposed to tens of foreign channels from other countries around the world (which overtook the place of the Jordanian
JRTV
Jordan Radio and Television is the state broadcaster of Jordan. It was formed in 1985 from the merger of Jordan Radio and Jordan Television....
and Lebanese
Middle East Television
Middle East Television is a Christian-based satellite television broadcasting network located in Limassol, Cyprus. Programming on METV includes a mixture of Christian programming, plus non-religious entertainment programs like The Red Green Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Lone Ranger and NFL...
channels which were the only foreign channels received in Israel until then), and to new local channels on the cables: The children channel, The sports channel
Sport 5
Sport 5 , also known as the Sports Channel is an Israeli television company. Available on cable and satellite , the company have seven channels which are devoted to sport.-Sport 5:...
, The family channel, and the films channel. The move brought to almost total elimination of the pirated cables broadcasting in the country.
Radio
The Israeli Pirate radioPirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
s experienced prosperity which happened in tandem with the establishment of legal regional radio stations, and to the reorganization of the military radio stations in 1993 (the establishment of Galgalatz
Galgalatz
Galgalatz is a popular Israeli radio station operated by Israel Defense Forces Radio. This is the second of two Israel Defense Forces-operated stations, while the first one is Israel Defense Forces Radio/Galatz. The station was established in 1993 and broadcasts primarily nonstop pop music and...
in tandem with the Israel Defense Forces Radio, instead of the former two stations "Army 1" and "Army 2"). In spite of all the changes in the field of radio broadcasting, this medium lost the majority of the listeners ratings during the nineties, and by the end of the decade, the radio was considered to be a communication medium which had few listeners in relatively to the television.
Newspapers
Although the majority of homes in Israel still receive daily newspapers nowadays, in this decade many main newspapers were closed, including HadashotHadashot
Hadashot was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Israel between 1984 and 1993.-History:On 4 March 1984 Haaretz Group CEO Amos Schocken announced that a new daily newspaper, Hadashot was to be launched, with Yossi Klein as editor...
, Al HaMishmar, and Davar
Davar
Davar was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the Mandate Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996.-History:Davar was established by Moshe Beilinson and Berl Katznelson, with Katznelson as its first editor. The first edition was published on 1 June 1925 under the name Davar - Iton...
.
Internet
In the mid-nineties, InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
ing became prevalent in Israel. Back then the connection to the Internet had to be done by means of dial-up internet access to the local Internet service providers such as NetVision and Internet Gold.
Telephone
In 1994, Cellcom joined the cellular communication market in Israel. At the start, the company experienced different problems with the devices they provided, when their users experienced many disconnections and intermittence during conversations.In 1998, Bezeq ceased from being a monopoly in the market of international telephony conversations after the market of international conversations telephony opened to competition, and two additional companies entered the field – Golden Lines, and Barak. The activity of Bezeq in this field passed to its subsidiary Bezeq International.
In 1999, Partner Communications Company joined the cellular communication market in Israel with the brand-name Orange. Partner was the first company which built network foundations in Israel which worked under GSM technologies.
2000s
In the first decade of the 21st century the main emphasis has been on digitization and the shift to mobile technologies, as the individual remains connected to the world 24/7.Television
In 2000, the Israeli satellite television provider Yes was established. At the time it was established, there were still three active cable companies in Israel: Tevel, Matav and Arutzay Zahav. The competition with Yes caused a big loss of members amongst the cable TV companies which urged them to merge. In order to strengthen Yes, which was relatively new, the regulator postponed his approval to the merger of the cable companies. In 2003, the cable companies began to act under the brand-name of the HotHot (Israel)
HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
. At the start of 2007, the companies completed the merging. In this decade Hot and Yes inserted the use of the digital set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es, and with them it became possible to receive digital broadcasts (improvement in the quality of reception of the television channels), and additionally also enables games channels, video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
(V.O.D) and nowadays they even supply digital set-top boxes which contain advanced DVR
DVR
The initialism "DVR", when used by itself, can refer to:* Digital video recorder* Discrete valuation ring* Distance-vector routing* Direct volume rendering* Derwent Valley Railway * Devco Railway...
technologies which are capable of pre-recording show (Hot Magic, Yes Max). HOT has put a big emphasis on encouraging production of local Israeli movies, while YES, in contrast, puts more emphasis on purchasing foreign TV series and movies. The struggle between the two companies is still its intense.
Under the inspection of the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority
Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority
The Second Authority for Television and Radio law was passed by the Knesset in 1990. Its purpose was to establish a new governing-body whose purpose is to facilitate and regulate commercially-operated television and radio broadcasts in Israel...
, an additional Israeli terrestrial-commercial channel was established on 28 January 2002 – Channel 10. This move started a competition among the commercial channels. Channel 10 purchased for itself hosts and actors from Channel 2 and Channel 1. In spite of these procurement actions, the channel is still considered to be inferior in the amount of its viewers relatively to the other channels.
In 2005, an additional bid took place in channel 2, in which "Keshet
Keshet (TV)
Keshet Broadcasting or Keshet is a media group and leading television program maker licensed in Israel. Keshet operates under the auspices of the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority . It is one of two operators that have run the main Israeli commercial television channel, Channel 2, since 1993,...
" and "Reshet
Reshet
thumb|right|"Reshet" logoReshet is one of the two concessionaires running the Israeli commercial television channel, Arutz 2 since 1993. Reshet is considered one of the most successful television networks in Israel....
" were chosen to be the channel's broadcasts to the consequent decade.
Israeli News Company
Israeli News Company
Israeli News Company is an Israeli company producing the Prime time news program on the Israeli commercial Channel 2, and most of its current affairs and news programs and items for that commercial channel....
won the bid to produce the terrestrial Knesset Channel.
Internet
Broadband Internet became prevalent in the majority of homes in Israel. Bezeq stopped being a monopoly in the field of the landlineLandline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
communications, when Hot started offering telephony services through the cables infrastructures.
In middle of the decade due to the popularity which the hi-speed internet and VoIP Technolegies gained amongst the Israelis, at first Israelis were able to conduct international conversations free of charge or at lower rates through the Internet due to the link between VoIP networks such as Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
and Vonage
Vonage
Vonage is a publicly held commercial voice over IP network and SIP company that provides telephone service via a broadband connection. The company's name is a play on their motto "Voice-Over-Net-AGE"....
to the traditional telephony networks in Israel and abroad.
In 2008, Partner Communications Company and XFone joined the high-speed Internet providers market.
Telephone
In 2004, three additional companies entered the market of international calls – Internet Gold with the prefix of 015, NetVision with the prefix of 017, and XFone with the prefix of 018, and the competition in this field became stronger. Recently this field extensively consolidated.In middle of the decade, all the portable phone numbers in Israel were changed from six to seven digits including a new area code, due to the massive amount of unique cellular phone numbers.
In the field of cellular communications third generation
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
digital networks were created.
Other communication systems
On March 1, 2006 The Israel Postal AuthorityIsrael Postal Company
Israel Postal Company , formerly the Israel Postal Authority, is a government-owned corporation that handles postal services in Israel....
became a Government-owned corporation
Government-owned corporation
A government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
, the Israel Postal Company, as a preceding stage to the opening of the mail market to competition.
The Israeli radio succeeded to recover from rating problems and opened more regional radio stations.
On December 17, 2007 the Israeli parliament approved new law which enables the Israeli police and other law enforcement bodies to accesses communication data without judicial inspection.
On June 4, 2008, the Ministry of Communications published a concession for operating a system which would enable broadcasting of digital radio transmissions in Israel. Over 50 stations nationwide are estimated to be broadcasting their transmissions on the Israeli digital radio broadcasts.
Press
Israel has three big daily newspapers: Yedioth AhronothYedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth is a daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the 1970s, it has been the most widely circulated paper in Israel. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Yedioth Ahronoth retained the title of most widely read newspaper in Israel...
, Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
and Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
. Additionally, there also two large Free daily newspaper
Free daily newspaper
Free daily newspapers are distributed free of charge, either in central places in cities and towns, or with other newspapers. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising.-In the U.S.:...
s - "Israel HaYom
Israel HaYom
Israel HaYom is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper first published on July 30, 2007 and currently published in Tabloid format. The name is a variation of the popular USA Today, though there is no relation between the two publications...
" and "Post" (belong to Jerusalem Post).
Radio
In contrast with the state which exists in the television field, in the radio field, the Israel Broadcasting AuthorityIsrael Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
is allowed to produce earnings from advertising. The radio section of the Israel Broadcasting Authority is called Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael is Israel's public domestic and international radio service, operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.-History:...
("Voice Of Israel"). Reshet Bet is currently the leading radio station in Israel. Two additional radio stations belong to the Israeli defense forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
– Israel Defense Forces Radio and Galgalatz
Galgalatz
Galgalatz is a popular Israeli radio station operated by Israel Defense Forces Radio. This is the second of two Israel Defense Forces-operated stations, while the first one is Israel Defense Forces Radio/Galatz. The station was established in 1993 and broadcasts primarily nonstop pop music and...
. In addition to the main radio stations which could be received throughout the country, there are also regional commercial radio stations broadcasting under the auspices of the Second Authority for Television and Radio. There is a severe problem in Israel with pirated radio stations
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
.
Local calls
There are currently six companies in Israel which are in charge of the landline telephony field: BezeqBezeq
Bezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
, Hot
Hot (Israel)
HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
, 012 Smile, Globcall, Cellcom and Orange. Bezeq is the oldest of all of them and is reputed to have a monopoly in the field. Hot uses its cables infrastructure in order to provide telephony services. The cables infrastructure is currently not yet spread throughout the entire country and therefore not every house in Israel can be a member of Hot; in comparison, Bezeq has landline infrastructure in all towns and villages in the country. The strategy of 012, Globcall, Cellcom and Orange is different from the former two in that they did not rush to establish a new physical infrastructure; rather, they provide telephone services which are based on the infrastructure of Bezeq and Hot, by means of Internet telephony technologies and additional technologies.
International calls
There are currently four companies in Israel which are in charge of the international telephony field: Bezeq International (prefix 014), 012 Smile, 013 NetVision and XFone (prefix 018). All the companies offer memberships services which get their customers cheaper rates for international calls. A member which dials abroad needs to add the prefix 00 and not the specific prefix of the company (as it was done in the past, when Bezeq had a monopoly in this field). Because these companies have an extensive infrastructure of links abroad, the majority of them also provide Internet services.Cellular communication
There are currently four companies in Israel which offer cellular communication service: PelephonePelephone
Pelephone is an Israeli-based telecommunications company, founded in 1986 as a joint venture between Motorola and Tadiran, today owned by Bezeq. It was the first company to offer mobile phone services in Israel. Due to this, the brand-name "Pelephone" became the genericized trademark for mobile...
, Cellcom, Partner Communications and Mirs
Mirs Communications Ltd.
thumb|right|MiRS LogoMirs Communications Ltd., or as widely known - Mirs, is a wireless telecommunications company based in Israel and a subsidiary of Altice Group, which also owns the Israeli cable TV company Hot. It provides wireless service using Integrated Digital Enhanced Network technology...
. The services which those companies provide have long ago passed only the bounds of vocal conversations and currently provide also SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
Text messaging
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
, Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
and Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
.
Multichannel television
There are currently two companies in the market of multichannel television. HotHot (Israel)
HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
(which provides television services through an underground infrastructure of cables) and Yes (which provides television services through satellite transmissions). The cables company has an advantage over the satellite company due to a permit granted to it from the communication office, which enables it to provide full bidirectional communications (for example the ability to provide Video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
services).
Commercial television
There are currently only two commercial channels on the Israeli television – Channel 2Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
and Channel 10. There also exist several niche channels which make their earnings from TV advertisements, such as: Israel Plus
Israel Plus
Israel Plus is a television station in Israel. It primarily broadcasts in the Russian language, with or without Hebrew subtitles, but also broadcasts some shows in Hebrew with Russian subtitles....
, Music 24
Music 24
Music 24 is an Israeli popular music channel which was launched on July 20, 2003 and broadcasts music videos by Israeli musicians. Apart from music videos, the channel has different music-related shows, including interviews with musicians, live performances, music-oriented talk shows and programs...
, and the Israeli shopping channel. Additionally, Channel 1
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
, which belongs to the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
, can finance itself partially with the help of a few announcements, although most of its budget comes from the payment fees every house in Israel which has a television set pays annually. Channel 10, in contrast with Channel 1 and Channel 2, circulates its broadcasts to the public only by means of cables infrastructure and satellite infrastructure, without broadcasting on regular air waves; thus, they have a smaller amount of potential viewers.
Internet
The Internet companies market are divided into two categories: infrastructure providers and service providers. The infrastructure providers are BezeqBezeq
Bezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
and Hot
Hot (Israel)
HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
. The largest Internet service providers are Bezeq international, NetVision 013 Barak, 012 smile, in addition to 35 smaller companies.
The highest speed available nowadays to the domestic Israeli internet user is 100MBit in download and 2MBit in Upload—which is provided by Hot.
Wireless Internet
The future of broadband Wireless Internet will be decided towards two possible directions – one possibility would be the takeover of the Cellular companies' third generation and fourth generation systems and the second possibility would be the other communication companies with their WiMaxWiMAX
WiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
technologies.
Communication companies in Israel
- BezeqBezeqBezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
– Israel's legacy national communications provider, which mainly provides landline telephone service. - HotHot (Israel)HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
– Sole cable television provider, also provides landline telephone service. - Yes – Sole DBS television provider.
- CellcomCellcom (Israel)Cellcom is a major Israeli telecommunications company. Founded in 1994, most of the company's business is centered around wireless service...
– Wireless operator (GSM 1800 and UMTS 850/2100). - Partner (Orange) – Wireless operator (GSM 900/1800 and UMTS 2100). An independent licensee of Orange SAOrange SAOrange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
. - PelephonePelephonePelephone is an Israeli-based telecommunications company, founded in 1986 as a joint venture between Motorola and Tadiran, today owned by Bezeq. It was the first company to offer mobile phone services in Israel. Due to this, the brand-name "Pelephone" became the genericized trademark for mobile...
– Wireless operator (old network: CDMA IS-95IS-95Interim Standard 95 is the first CDMA-based digital cellular standard by Qualcomm. The brand name for IS-95 is cdmaOne. IS-95 is also known as TIA-EIA-95....
/CDMA2000CDMA2000CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
/EV-DOEvolution-Data OptimizedEvolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data only is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access...
in the 850Mhz band. New network: UMTS 850/2100). - MirsMirs Communications Ltd.thumb|right|MiRS LogoMirs Communications Ltd., or as widely known - Mirs, is a wireless telecommunications company based in Israel and a subsidiary of Altice Group, which also owns the Israeli cable TV company Hot. It provides wireless service using Integrated Digital Enhanced Network technology...
– Wireless operator (current network: iDENIntegrated Digital Enhanced NetworkIntegrated Digital Enhanced Network is a mobile telecommunications technology, developed by Motorola, which provides its users the benefits of a trunked radio and a cellular telephone...
. Future network: UMTS 2100). - 012 Smile – International and landline calls provider, Internet service provider
- 013 NetVision – International and landline calls provider, Internet service provider
- Bezeq International – International and landline calls provider, Internet service provider
- Israel Postal CompanyIsrael Postal CompanyIsrael Postal Company , formerly the Israel Postal Authority, is a government-owned corporation that handles postal services in Israel....
– a Government-owned companyGovernment-owned corporationA government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
which specializes in providing mail and banking services.
Data
Telephones - main lines in use:- 3.25 million (2009)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
- 9.022 million (2009)
Radio broadcast stations:
- AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
- 3.07 million (1997)
Television provider companies:
- 1 cableCable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
company and 1 satellite (DBSDirect broadcast satelliteDirect broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
) company (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
- 24 (plus 31 low-power repeaters), (1997)
Televisions:
- 1.69 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
- 23 (1999)
People connected to the Internet:
- 4.525 million (2009)
People connected to DSL or Cable Internet connection:
- 1.3 million (2003)
Country codes:
- IL (Top-level domainTop-level domainA top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
), 972 (PSTNPublic switched telephone networkThe public switched telephone network is the network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks. It consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all inter-connected by...
)
Telephone prefixes
On December 2, 2007, mobile number portabilityMobile number portability
Mobile number portability enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.- General overview :MNP is implemented in different ways across the globe...
and local number portability
Local number portability
Local number portability for fixed lines, and full mobile number portability for mobile phone lines, refers to the ability to transfer either an existing fixed-line or mobile telephone number assigned by a local exchange carrier and reassign it to another carrier...
were introduced in Israel.
Wireline telephones
The following area codes exist in Israel:- 02 – Jerusalem and surroundings
- 03 – Gush DanGush DanThe Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
(includes Tel AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Rishon LeZion, Petah TikvaPetah TikvaPetah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, and other central cities) - 04 – Northern area (includes HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
and other northern cities) - 08 – South-central and southern area (includes Ness ZionaNess ZionaNess Ziona is a city in central Israel founded in 1883. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 38,100, and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams.-Nahalat Reuben:...
and RehovotRehovotRehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
, as well as southern cities) - 09 – SharonSharon, IsraelThe Sharon Plain is the northern half of the coastal plain of Israel. Its largest city is Netanya.The Plain lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the Samarian Hills, to the east. It stretches from Haifa and Mount Carmel in the north to the Yarkon River in the south, at the edge of...
region - 072 – VoIPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service provided through 012 Smile - 073 – VoIPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service provided through 013 NetVision and Cellcom - 074 – VoIPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service provided through Orange - 076 – VoIPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service provided through Bezeq International - 077 – VoIPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
service provided through the Cable TVCable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
company HotHot (Israel)HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
Mobile telephones
In the mid-first decade of the 21st century, mobile telephone numbers were changed from six to seven digits and prefixes/area codes were consolidated to reflect the need for the increasing quantity of subscribers.Also note Paltel
Paltel
Paltel Group or Palestinian Telecommunication Group is the largest private-sector company in the Palestinian territories, employing almost 2,000 people...
, which provides mobile telephone service in the Palestinian Authority. Its area code/prefix is 059.