The director of the Communications Ministry scrambles to explain statements he made in an interview with Bloomberg published Monday.
In a statement, Shlomo Filber clarifies that while he believes prices in the mobile phone market are too low, he does not think it is a regulatory issue but rather something to be sorted out by the forces of the market.
“The prices in the country are lower than what’s needed,” he says in his clarification. “For the sake of comparison, in Europe they’re 20 euros [a month per phone line].”
But, he adds, “the prices in the market are determined through free competition, and I don’t decide what they will be.”
Israeli flags are seen inside the ‘Partner Orange’ Communications Company offices in the city of Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel, Thursday, June 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)
The Bloomberg piece had indicated that Filber’s stance was a departure from that of some of his predecessors in the ministry — who led reforms that introduced new players to the market, thus bringing on a radical reduction in prices — and implied that regulatory moves to correct the prices could be in the offing.
“OECD prices are around 20 euros (86 shekels), and we should aim for that level,” he was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s communications minister, among several other cabinet roles.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 26, 2015
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
