The continued lack of access to the 4G/5G spectrum will have negative economic and social consequences for the Palestinian Authority, especially as the COVID pandemic is forcing a transition to digital life, the PA warned in a press release issued last week.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
In a letter addressed to the international and donor community operating in the PA, the PA government cited the positive effects that access to 4G/5G technology could have for its people and accused Israel of blocking the Palestinians' access to its next-gen telecommunications spectrum.
The message noted that Palestinians in Judea and Samaria were using 3G, while the Gaza Strip remained "stuck with 2G."
However, in what appears to be a partial contradiction of the assertion that Palestinians have no access to the 4G/5G spectrum, the PA message went on to accuse Israel of infringing on Palestinian telecom market share by offering low-cost 4G/5G services to Palestinians through "massive" data plans, which it called an "existential barrier to the survival of Palestinian mobile and fixed line internet operators."
The PA cited a World Bank report from 2016 which estimated that this revenue loss for Palestinian internet providers could be as much as $1.1 billion over three years.
"Palestinians have all the capabilities to take advantage of the leapfrog to the digital economy. They have the human talent, they have the know-how, they have a high mobile phone and Internet penetration rate, and there is an evolving eco-system, as such, is poised to make a solid leap into the 'app' economy if 4G and 5G spectrum are allowed to make that moonshot, the message read.
"Our call for action today is threefold: first, the provision of 4G/5G spectrum to Palestinian operators on a non-sharing basis; second, the cessation of Israeli attacks on the telecommunications market; and third, allowing Palestinian operators to work in Area C," the appeal to the international community concluded.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
