Israel
Riots and injuries occurred during protests against the installation of cellular masts in a Druze Arab village in March, according to international press reports. Reports said seven police officers and members of the public were injured in the riots, which are thought to be the first violent demonstrations against cellular tower installations. The protests were reportedly sparked by fears the antennas could cause health problems.
Samsung said it finalized a three-year, US$250 million contract to supply CDMA handsets to the Israeli market. In addition, Pele-Phone selected the AnyWeb mobile Internet solution co-developed by Samsung. The carrier is working with Suny.com, an Internet service supplier, to launch a mobile Internet service called Go Next.
Jordan
Fastlink, a wireless operator in Jordan, launched short message service and plans to offer Wireless Application Protocol services later this year. The carrier selected Info-Cell as a content provider of local Jordanian and Middle Eastern news and information.
Lebanon
The Lebanese government said it wants to break its 10-year contracts with the country’s two mobile phone operators, Cellis and LibanCell. Government reports said the two companies violated their contracts by exceeding the number of allowed subscribers, cheating on bills and failing to pay the government for use of frequencies, Reuters reported. The operators denied the claims. A government official said the two firms together owed US$60 million.
Syria
The Syrian Telecommunications Establishment’s (STE) mobile company, Syriatel, launched service in February. Siemens, Ericsson and Lebanese company Investcom are executing a trial GSM service covering the cities of Damascus and Aleppo with a capacity of 60,000 lines. The initial subscription fee is US$1,300 with a monthly US$53 fee. Fees are expected to drop later. Service capacity is expected reach 200,000 lines during the next two years.
