Levy awaits a decision from the Communications

Ministry on unified telecoms licenses.

Sources inform ”Globes” that, after becoming a player in the mobile market, Rami Levy is interested in expanding his telecommunications business to the fixed-line market. Levy, the controlling shareholder inRami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd. (TASE:RMLI), first entered the telecommunications market three years ago. He now wants to expand and offer customers a comprehensive telecommunications package, as an alternative to the packages offered by the large telecommunications carriers.

For this purpose, Levy is waiting for a Ministry of Communications decision on whether to award a unified license for telecommunications activity, which would allow the provision of a range of services, instead of the variety of different licenses that are now required to provide different telecommunications services.

A unified license is linked to progress of the wholesale market reform, in which the Ministry of Communications is seeking to create a market where carriers with no fixed-line infrastructures will buy lines at a discount from Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE:BEZQ) and Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT.B1), and will compete in the market by offering a comprehensive telecommunications services package. The ministry wants several large telecommunications carriers to be created. Levy wants to continuing doing business in the sector and become an important player in it. His current business is in the mobile segment, where he offers his customers services through Pelephone Communications Ltd.. In late November 2013, Rami Levy Communications had 70,000 mobile subscribers, according to Rami Levy Chain Stores’ financial statement for the third quarter. In addition to the mobile activity, Levy and his partners have an international calls operating license under the 015 prefix.