Apple's revolutionary iPhone will be marketed in Israel. The mobile device will be imported by Pelephone Communications Ltd. and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR; LSE:PCCD).
The two companies are currently keeping quiet about the launch, prices, and marketing.
After Pelephone said it will market the iPhone 3G S, a product which was unveiled a week ago, Partner followed and said it, too, will market the device.
Partner said that its deal is for three years, and that it committed to a minimum quantity.
Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL), in the meantime, has not joined the fray and will not market the device.
Though Cellcom has not given up on the device, it prefers to sit on the fence and wait to see the level of demand, and if it really needs the product in its arsenal, or if it can manage with alternatives.
Apple requires a commitment of 150,000 phones per year, for a three year period.
Cellcom is also concerned that the iPhone is not a brand new product, so that early users already have the device, and that there already thousands of the devices in Israel.
The launch of the iPhone is expected to be in the coming months, and certainly before the end of 2009. The handset is sold for $200-300 in the US and the price in Israel will depend on the packages offered by the mobile operators but it is not expected to be much higher than the US price.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 16, 2009
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