Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) yesterday jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, after cellular rivals Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) and Pelephone Communications Ltd. Cellcom will probably begin marketing iPhones in late August, at the same time as the other operators.
Two weeks ago, Cellcom signed a deal with iPhone maker Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) to market the device. The contract includes a confidentiality clause. Cellcom had planned to keep the launch a surprise and launch a PR and sales campaign at a time of its choosing, but these plans were disrupted by its rivals' announcements.
Cellcom's entry into the iPhone market is good news for its subscribers and bad news for its competitors. Partner and Pelephone had hoped to recruit tens of thousands of Cellcom subscribers by offering iPhones. Cellcom has now frustrated these plans.
Cellphone importers are also losers, including Nokia importer Eurocom Group, Samsung importer Suny Electronics Ltd. (TASE: SUNY), and Sony Ericsson Networks importer Beres Electra Consumer Products Ltd.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 15, 2009
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2009