Israel blocks Palestinians from using 3G technology: officials

Palestinian officials late on Sunday complained that Israel is depriving them of using 3rd generation mobile telecommunications technology, causing substantial losses for cellular phone companies and customers.

Ammar al-Ikker, executive director of the Palestinian telecommunication group, told Xinhua news agency that Israel is about to start implementing fourth generation technology, complaining that his fellow people are still using second generation technology.

"Because we are not using developed frequencies in telecommunications, our losses rose to $100 million every year and they could increase in the future," he said as Palestinians marked the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) om Sunday.

The WTISD is designed by the United Nations specialized agency of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), aiming to help raise awareness of the possibilities that Internet use and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can deliver to societies and economies, in addition to bridging the digital divide.

Allam Musa, Palestinian minister of telecommunications, told Xinhua that Israeli telecommunication and mobile companies are profiting from Palestinian markets by taking advantage of advanced technology without paying taxes to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

According to the Palestinian Central Statistic Bureau, the number of mobile phone users in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reached 3.1 million.

Using outmoded communication technology imposes high costs on local consumers, mainly as they surf and browse the Internet and use social media websites on their mobiles.

Sabri Seidam, technology adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said "Politically, Israel deals with the issue of Palestinian telecommunications in the same manner it deals with issues of expanding settlements and obstructing possibilities of establishing an independent Palestinian state".