Israel and the Palestinian Authority have finally begun the process of improving mobile telecommunications services in the West Bank region by coming together in an agreement to provide 3G (third generation) services. The population of the West Bank region will soon be able to use upgraded services to take advantage of faster Internet speeds, and better mobile phone communication, which the area has been deprived of for about a decade. According to published reports, Israel will have the authority to allocate radio frequencies in the West Bank, while the Palestinian Authority will have limited authority over telecom services.
Service Will Improve Life For Palestinians
The service upgrade is being described as a “unilateral gesture” on the part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to improve economic and civilian life for the Palestinians.
Since achieving peace in the West Bank region has been challenging, Mr. Netanyahu has been under pressure from the United States and other nations to find ways to improve the plight of Palestinians who do not have access to technology many people in developed regions now take for granted.
Moreover, upgraded services will increase revenue for Palestinian telecom operators that are losing money because they cannot meet the increased demands for Internet bandwidth and mobile calling. The more sophisticated apps and mobile devices will not operate on outdated 2G frequencies, as they lack the speed required for texting and other data transmission.
Procrastination Was For Economic, Not Security Reasons
Palestinians have been waiting for this upgrade for about a decade, and it was thought that Israel was reluctant to grant the upgrades due to security concerns. The Palestinian Authority (PA) insists Israel did not procrastinate based on security, but for economic reasons.
The PA was eventually able to work out an arrangement with the Israeli Ministry of Communications, but the Palestinians are going to have to obtain the equipment on their own in order to facilitate the upgrade.
Better Communication Means More Opportunities
Although 3G service has been surpassed by 4G service in places like North America and Europe, Palestinians are looking forward to the new opportunities they will have once the upgraded services are in place. Improvements in education, health, tourism and employment will hopefully have a positive effect on the economy and improve relations between the two countries.
There is some speculation however, that since Israel is now offering 4G telecom to its citizens, Palestinians won’t stand for inferior service for very long. Many believe that the West Bank and Gaza need to be brought up to the same level of service, or the Palestinian service providers could be doomed to fail.
Service Expected to Begin In Mid-2016
The two major Palestinian telecom providers, Jawwal and Wataniya, will not be offering 3G service right away. It is expected that it will take the two companies about six months to acquire the necessary equipment, and get it in place. The time frame might also be affected by how long it takes to get the equipment through Israeli customs. Right now, service is expected to commence sometime in the middle of 2016.