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Communications in the State of Palestine

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Ooredoo Palestine advertisement board in Surda

The State of Palestine (consisting of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) has access to Telephone, Radio, Television, and Internet services; however, it significantly trails behind global standards in these sectors.[1] The communications landscape in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip is hindered by several challenges, including restrictions from the Oslo Accords, which limit the use of spectrum frequencies for wireless communication without Israeli approval. Consequently, this has obstructed the introduction of modern technology into the Palestinian territories.

Through persistent negotiations, Palestine secured third-generation wireless communication frequencies, known as 3G, but this advancement is only available in the West Bank. In contrast, Gaza remains constrained to 2G Technology.[2] The constraints imposed by the Oslo Accords Are only part of the broader framework governing the telecommunications industry in Palestine. Additional regulations, such as the Palestinian Telecommunications Law and various international agreements, further shape this sector.

The data clearly illustrates how Palestine Lags behind its neighboring countries, primarily due to the impacts of the Israeli occupation and the restrictions imposed on acquiring advanced technology from around the world. The control over Palestine's spectrum frequencies stifles its potential for growth in the communications sector.

Telecommunications

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Infrastructure and ISPs

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Main article: Telephone numbers in the Palestinian territories

The Palestinian telecommunications sector comprises a mix of public and private companies that provide fixed-line, mobile, and internet services.[3] Three main companies dominate the sector:

  • Paltel Group: Paltel Group, through its subsidiaries, offers fixed-line, internet, and mobile services. Paltel is the largest telecommunications company in Palestine and is heavily involved in infrastructure development, with over 400,000 Landline customers.[4][5]
  • Jawwal: A subsidiary of Paltel, Jawwal is the leading mobile provider in Palestine. It provides mobile services for over 3 millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.[6] However, due to frequency restrictions, Jawwal's service offerings have been limited compared to those of other Middle Eastern operators.[5]
  • Ooredoo Palestine (previously Wataniya Mobile) In addition to Paltel and Jawwal, entered the market in 2009 as the second mobile service provider. This competition introduced more options for consumers, with over 1.5 million customers,[7] though both companies still face similar regulatory and frequency constraints.[5]

Internet connectivity in Palestine is largely delivered through a combination of fixed-line and mobile networks. While broadband access is available, the Palestinian territories still experience lower average internet speeds compared to neighboring regions, largely due to the absence of advanced mobile networks and restrictions on equipment and frequencies.[5]

Radio

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Numerous licensed FM stations are broadcasting in the Palestinian territories, including but not limited to:

  • Al Aqsa radio - Hamas-run station in Gaza.[8]

On October 1, 1999, the International Telecommunication Union assigned Palestine the call block E4A through E4Z. Aircraft tail numbers, amateur radio stations, vessels at sea, and other radio facilities licensed by the Palestinian Authority will carry call signs beginning with "E4."

Television

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There is a bit of a scarcity of TV channels,[8] but there are still some Channels that include:

  • Al-Aqsa TV - Hamas-run station in Gaza, terrestrial and via satellite[8]

Other Private stations include Al-Quds Educational TV, Al-Mahd TV, Al-Majd TV, Al-Nawras TV, Watan TV[8]

Censorship

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In 2008, OpenNet stated, "Access to the Internet in the Palestinian territories remains relatively open, although social filtering of sexually explicit content has been implemented in Gaza. Internet in the West Bank remains almost entirely unfiltered, save for a single news Website that was banned for roughly six months starting in late 2008. Media freedom is constrained in Gaza and the West Bank by the political upheaval and internal conflict as well as by the Israeli forces."[9]

On 23 April 2012, EFF published a list of websites censored by some Palestinian ISPs.[10] That same day, the Tor Project announced that they were witnessing politically motivated censorship in Bethlehem.[11]

In May 2012, the Ma'an news agency stated "The Palestinian Authority has quietly instructed Internet providers to block access to news websites whose reporting is critical of President Mahmoud Abbas."[12]

Mail

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Main article: Palestine Post

Palestine Post is responsible for providing postal service in the West Bank, while the Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology of the State of Palestine is responsible for postal service in the Gaza Strip. Generally, international letters addressed to the West Bank are routed through both Jordan and Israel, and international letters addressed to Gaza are routed through only Israel. Delays often happen during the sending and receiving of letters from Palestine. Without these two national postal authorities, no international courier service would be serving the areas.[citation needed]

2023 Israel–Gaza war

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See also: Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present) § Communications

During the 2023 Israel–Gaza war, telecommunications company Paltel kept its networks online for most of the first six weeks. The company has a network operations center in Ramallah, West Bank. As of 2023, Paltel has 750 staff in Gaza, and they perform maintenance tasks such as repairing and refueling generators when an outage is detected. Five Paltel staff have been killed in the conflict. Paltel networks are essential for coordinating emergency services and humanitarian aid, and for documenting conditions inside Gaza.[13]

In response to previous wars in Gaza, Paltel has made preparations and has many contingencies to help keep its networks online. It buries its cables very deep (up to 26 feet) and has multiple power sources available, such as batteries, solar panels, and generators. Ultimately, Paltel is reliant on Israel, because its two main fiber optic cables pass through Israel. Israel has turned off telecommunications by interfering with these cables twice before.[13]

On November 3, 2023, the BBC World Service launched an emergency radio service for Gaza,[14] broadcasting on long-range AM from the British East Mediterranean Relay Station, to "provide listeners in Gaza with the latest information and developments as well as safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies".[15]

On November 16, 2023, due to fuel shortages, Internet and telephone services went down in Gaza. This also resulted in a suspension of humanitarian aid convoys because humanitarian agencies could not communicate.[16] On November 18, services were partially restored after some fuel was allowed in and allocated to telecommunications.[17] On November 21, an Israeli strike against a telecommunications tower in North Gaza led to a telecommunications blackout in that area.[18]

An organization called Connecting Humanity provides internet access to people in Gaza using donated eSIMs, allowing them to connect to networks outside of Gaza.[19][20][21] By December 2023 200,000 people living in Gaza (around 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM.[22][23][24]

See also

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References

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  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.
  1. ^ "Telecommunication Sector Note in the Palestinian Territories: Missed Opportunity for Economic Development - World Bank report". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  2. ^ SMEX (2023-12-21). "How the Israeli Occupation Restricts the Development of Internet Infrastructure in Palestine". SMEX. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  3. ^ "Palestine unplugged: how Israel disrupts Gaza's internet". Access Now. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. ^ Editor, Bizclik (2020-05-18). "Paltel Group achieves twelve-fold growth in bid to uplift business in Palestine". businesschief.eu. Retrieved 2024-11-15. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ a b c d "Palestine Internet Connectivity as Seen in BGP". RIPE Labs. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  6. ^ Jawwal. "About Us - Jawwal". About Us - Jawwal. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  7. ^ "Financial Information 2024 | Ooredoo Palestine". Ooredoo. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Palestinian territories media guide". BBC News. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  9. ^ "ONI Country Profile: Gaza and the West Bank", OpenNet Initiative, 10 August 2009
  10. ^ "Palestinian Authority Found to Block Critical News Sites". 23 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Politically motivated censorship in Bethlehem, Palestine | Tor Blog".
  12. ^ "Palestinian media clampdown spreads to the Web | Maan News Agency". Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  13. ^ a b "Keeping Gaza online: Telecom heroes risk life and limb under Israel's bombs". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  14. ^ Potter, Simon (2023-11-03). "BBC's emergency Gaza radio broadcasts show why World Service mustn't rely on digital technology". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  15. ^ "BBC World Service announces Emergency Radio Service for Gaza". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  16. ^ "Under a communication blackout, Gaza's 2.3 million people are cut off from each other and the world". AP News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  17. ^ "Telecom service partially restored in Gaza after limited fuel entry". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  18. ^ "Photos: Intense Israeli air strikes hit Gaza amid growing signs of truce". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  19. ^ Vo, Lam Thuy (2023-11-07). "'Let Me Tell Them Goodbye Before They Get Killed': How eSIM Cards Are Connecting Palestinian Families – The Markup". themarkup.org. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  20. ^ "Gazans had no cell service. An effort led by Egypt helped reconnect them". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "This activist is helping Palestinians get back online in Gaza when connection is lost under Israeli attack". CNN. 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  22. ^ Aly, Rasha (2023-12-17). "Palestinians in Gaza using eSim cards to get around communications blackout". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  23. ^ "When Gaza lost telephone and internet connection, this activist found a way to get Palestinians back online". The Mercury News. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  24. ^ Elassar, Alaa; Tucker, Emma (2023-12-03). "When Gaza lost phone and internet under Israeli attack, this activist found a way to get Palestinians back online". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
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