Palestinian Territories

Geographic Region (ITU/UN)

ISO 3166 Code

PS

M49 Code

275

MCC

425

ITU Member

No

ITU-R Region

Overview

There are two mobile carriers operating in the Palestinian Territories/State of Palestine, providing 2G GSM services over the 900 MHz band, including EDGE/GPRS data. Mobile telecommunications development has been difficult due the challenging operating environment that carriers face, both from a regulatory and political perspective.

Interim peace accords stipulate that Israel has final say regarding spectrum assignments, with an agreement reached in November 2015 regarding the provision of 10 MHz paired spectrum in the 2100 MHz band for Palestinian 3G services. Israeli authorities had previously barred Palestinian phone companies from offering 3G for alleged Israeli security concerns, leading many Palestinians to switch to Israeli phone providers. The long standing ban on 3G services was partially lifted in January 2018, allowing both carriers to activate 3G in West Bank.

Restrictive measures have significantly affected the development of the Palestinian telecommunications. These include the Israeli restrictions on the import of equipment for telecom and ICT companies, the inability to operate in more than 60% of the West Bank under Israeli control (Area C), and the requirement by Israel that Palestinian operators go through an Israeli-registered company to access international links. While international practices commend competition in the sector, the second Palestinian mobile operator Wataniya has not been able to start its operations in Gaza due to Israeli restrictions on accessing spectrum and importing material. As a result, Gaza remains a mobile-monopoly market structure. Information courtesy of World Bank.

National Mobile Network Operators

There are 1 mobile network operators servicing this region.

3G: N/A
3G Bands: B1 (2100 MHz)
4G: N/A
5G: N/A
IoT: N/A