Wataniya paid 251 million Jordanian dinars ($ 354.3 million) for the licence to build a second network in the Palestinian territories in September but has been waiting for Israel to provide the frequencies. Mohammad Mustafa, head of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF), which owns 30 percent of Wataniya’s local business, said Israel had told the Palestinian Authority it was “committed to giving the frequencies”.“They gave us 2.4 Megahertz and they will give us a similar amount before the end of this year,” Mustafa said in an an interview on the sidelines of a Palestinian investment conference in Bethlehem.
“Wataniya can start operating as soon as we get the frequency — before the end of this year,” he added. Mustafa said the 4.8 Megahertz would be enough capacity to serve 1 million subscribers in the Palestinian territories, home to 4 million people. Jawwal, the sole Palestinian mobile firm has about 1 million subscribers.
