مجموعة الاتصلات » phone

Walla! to enter mobile phone market

ola — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 07:51:34 +0000

Walla! will become a marketer for sister Bezeq unit Pelephone,

and this could start a new price war.

Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) group companies Pelephone Communications Ltd. and Walla! are in talks about cooperation in the cellular field, sources inform “Globes.” The two companies plan to join forces to make Walla! a kind of MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). In the first stage, Walla! will become a marketer for Pelephone, but as of now, it is unclear whether it will apply to the Ministry of Communications for a license.

Sources inform “Globes” that the companies plan to take advantage of the digital marketing power of Walla!, which will enter the mobile sector and begin selling cellular packages, as is currently done by companies like 012 Mobile, which uses the infrastructure of Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR). 012 Mobile is a subsidiary of 012 Smile, owned by Partner. 012 Mobile is a sub-brand, through which Partner sells mainly cellular packages at low prices through a special cellular website, and through which customers order a line and select their preferred cellular package. Pelephone and Walla! plan to cooperate in the same way.

An important strategic move Walla!’s entry into the cellular market is expected to intensify and deepen competition in it, and cause some companies in the sector real distress as a result. Prices as low as NIS 37 a package can already be found in the market, and even prices of NIS 20 below the line (packages not offered to the public in advertisements). The entry of another player like Walla! in combination with Pelephone is likely to give the market a real shakeup. Cooperation between the companies in a way that makes Walla! a marketer requires no approval from the Ministry of Communications, and it therefore cannot be ruled out that another and unexpected price war will take place in the market. Walla!’s entry could also affect the decision of new players whether to enter the cellular market, because as one of Israel’s leading websites, the company has enormous marketing power.

This is an important strategic measure for Pelephone in preparation for 2015, expected to be a very difficult year for all the players in the sector. Pelephone will lose Hot Mobile, which will use the former’s network until the end of 2014, but will switch to Partner’s network starting in 2015. The entry of Walla! into the cellular market is designed to partially compensate Pelephone for the loss of revenue, and help it capture market share. Pelephone’s strategy is aimed at preserving its market share, while aggressively cutting its marketing expenses. Up until now, the Bezeq group’s companies have not openly cooperated with each other. In view of the intensified completion the cellular field, however, Pelephone is searching for strategic advantages at the group level, and Walla! is just such an asset for it.

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Lexifone launches improved phone translation service

ola — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 08:55:10 +0000

According to the company, the translation software is capable

of producing simultaneous, real-time translations of phone

conversations.

Israeli communications company Lexifone, developer of automatic translation services for phone calls, has launched Lexifone 2. According to the company, the translation software is capable of producing simultaneous, real-time translations of phone conversations.

Lexifone’s service allows two people to speak in two different languages over the telephone, while each person hears the conversation in his or her own language. In the older version of the service, users had to say each sentence and wait for the translation, and to signal when they wanted to switch the translation “direction.” Now, Lexifone 2 allows each person to speak fluently, and the translation begins automatically when he or she finishes speaking (after 2 seconds, or so). Lexifone also listens to both speakers, and translates for each separately, even if they are speaking simultaneously.

The new version shortens translation time, and allows the translated conversation to flow more naturally. Lexifone 2 translates between English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Russian, and Hebrew was recently added as well. Lexifone CEO and founder Dr. Ike Sagie said: “Our goal will always be to get as close as possible to translated conversation that accurately simulates conversation in the speaker’s language.”

Lexifone recently closed a €2 million deal with French communication company SFR. SFR has 20 million private subscribers and one million corporate subscribers. Lexifone’s service is intended for the corporate subscribers. The service will allow them to converse with people who do not speak French, and will make it easier for them to conduct business.

Lexifone was founded by Sagie in 2010, and has raised $3 million.

Flat Planet Phone to acquire 015 Hallo

ola — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:10:34 +0000

Flat Planet Phone to acquire 015 Hallo

Moshe Maier founded Flat Planet Phone six years ago to market VoIP telephony services.

Flat Planet Phone Company Inc. subsidiary GN Holdings Ltd. has filed a bid to acquire international calls carrier 015 Hallo Ltd. The Central District Court in Petah Tikva is holding a hearing on Hallo’s fate today, following the expiration of its stay of proceedings.

Hallo’s trustees, Adv. Guy Gissin and Adv. Eitan Erez, are running the company using financing provided by its primary shareholder, M. Schechter.

Moshe Maier founded Flat Planet Phone six years ago to market VoIP telephony services. The company has inland telephony and international calls licenses from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and it mainly provides services for the business community.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on July 4, 2012