Golan Telecom offers NIS 50 monthly plan
The mobile carrier is also mulling entering the landline telephony sector.
Golan Telecom Ltd. is offering a NIS 50 monthly plan, and is mulling entering the landline telephony sector, if the Ministry of Communications telephony reform makes it possible. The NIS 50 monthly plan, valid through the end of June, will include unlimited calls and SMSs, but no Internet access or international calls.
At today’s press conference to mark Golan Telecom’s anniversary, CEO Michael Golan said, “Competition will not end. I’ve heard people tell us that, after we gain a certain number of customers, the level of competition will fall. That won’t happen. We’ll constantly continue to improve our offers to promote competition. There will be surprises in the weeks to come. We’re an Israeli start-up, with 35 headquarters staff and 200 customer services employees. We all sit in the same offices. Our goal is to reach two minutes waiting time for every caller, and to respond quickly to any query by e-mail.”
Golan added, “We’ve recruited 257,000 customers to date, or one new customer every two minutes. 30% of the customers are new, and the rest came from other carriers.”
Golan rejected speculation about the company’s ability to finance its operations and meet its commitments to build its network. He said that the company had an infrastructure, that it would build a network, and that it could not be called a virtual operator that rode on other carriers’ infrastructures.
The telephony market reform will allow carriers with no landline infrastructures to rent them from Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) and Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT.B1) at discounted prices, and to offer television and Internet services in competition against Bezeq and Hot. The reform is currently under discussion at the Ministry of Communications.
Sources inform ”Globes” that Golan Telecom owner Xavier Niel visited Israel two weeks ago to discuss expanding the carrier into the telephony market with Michael Golan.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on May 12, 2013