Israeli Operators Submit Bids for Motorola Subsidiary

Two of Israel's mobile network operators have submitted non-binding offers to buy rival network, MIRS, which is currently owned by Motorola. Both Cellcom and Partner, which itself is being put up for sale, have submitted bids. Neither company have detailed how much they are offering for the mobile network operator, although the company has been previously valued at around US$300 million.

MIRS Communications operates an iDEN network, supplied by Motorola but has been looking to switch to a 3G technology.

Israel's Ministry of Communications is currently holding a consultation to decide how to allocate a batch of unused 3G radio spectrum. The move has been prompted by a request from MIRS Communications after it was earlier blocked from bidding for WiMAX licenses.

According to figures from the Mobile World database, the company ended last year with an estimated 441,000 subscribers - representing a market share of just under 5%.

On the web: Mobile World

Posted to the site on 10th August 2009