Orange Israel

Infobox Company
company_name = Orange
company_
vector_
company_type = Public Company
genre =
foundation = 1999
founder = Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited and Mifoa companies
location_city = Rosh Haayin
location_country = Israel
location =
origins =
key_people =
area_served = Israel
industry = Mobile Telecomunications
products =
revenue = 815,351,000 shekels(2005)
operating_income =
net_income = 5.6 Billion Shekels
num_employees = 3500
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan =
homepage = http://www.orange.co.il
dissolved =
footnotes =

Partner Communications Co. Ltd., is an Israeli wireless telecommunications service provider. Headquarters are in Rosh HaAyin. The company has the local license for the Orange brand and operates exclusively under this international wireless brand name. In general, the prefix (area code) for 'Orange' customers is 054, although customers who requested to keep their old number from a different cellular company may have a different area code.

Partner began its operation in Israel in 1999; by 2006 the network had 2.7 million users, 276 thousand of which had 3G phones. The Orange network utilizes GSM technology and UMTS technology for 3G services; an HSDPA network is being built and currently covers over 80% of the country. Users of the network can use advanced services all over the world because Orange has roaming agreements with 350 GSM and 27 UMTS international networks. 23% of the network users are business customers, 29% are pre-paid customers and the rest are private post-paid customers.

Orange entered the communication market relatively late while Cellcom and Pelephone were already oprating in it for years. When it was announced that the Ministry of Telecommunication will grant a third cellular network license it was thought that there is no room for an another company; hence only two companies responded to the tender: Partner, and a group called "Tapuz". After losing its bid, Tapuz became a part of Partner.

When it started operating in 1999, Orange was the the first GSM cellular network in Israel (the others were then using CDMA, TDMA, and iDEN technologies), it allowed Israeli users to use their phones in other places in the world with a similar network. The network was branded under the name "Orange" which was an international brand registered under the names of Hutchison Telecom from Hong Kong which had a some of partners stocks. The successful launch and promotion of the Orange brand is considered one of the best advertising efforts undertaken in Israel.

The international brand "Orange" that the company uses today under license is belongs to the Orange SA company which is owned by France Télécom, which is not related to the owners of Partner. However France Télécom decided to let Partner keep using the name Orange because of the network's wide commercial success and brand recognition.

During the years the ownership of Orange changed dramatically. The Israeli partners MATAV, Elbit, Eurocom and Polar Communications shares dropped and today hold only a few percent of the company. Other than the public, the biggest shareholders are Hutchison Telecom and Mifoa (51.6%). The Egyptian company Orascom bought 20% of Hucthison and Mifoa's shares in Partner and today holds 9.99% of partner's stocks.

Partner's shares are listed on NASDAQ under the symbol PTNR, on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol PCCD, and on TASE (the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange) under the symbol PTNR.

In January 15 2007 Partner was granted a license to provide terrestrial telecommuniations nationwide which gives it the option to operate a wired telephony; currently this service is provided for large businesses only. Also, the company is preparing to provide internet ISP services for business and later to private customers. This service should be available during the first quarter of 2008.

See also

* Cellular phone
* Mirs
* Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited

External links

* [http://www.orange.co.il/investor_site/ Partner Communications' investor site]
* [http://www.orange.co.il Main portal] he icon
* [http://www.orange.co.il/rus/ Main portal] ru icon