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Altice International

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www.altice.net

Altice international is a multinational group specializing in telecoms, content, media, entertainment, and advertising headquartered in Luxembourg.

Through its fully owned Israeli subsidiary, Hot Telecommunications Systems, Altice holds a special permit from the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) for the provision of cable television and telecommunication services to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. The license was granted in 2006 and is valid through 25 November 2023. In 2019, Hot Telecommunications Systems announced that it will expand its services in the occupied West Bank to reach all settlements through wireless internet and TV services.

In January 2021 and January 2022, Hot Telecommunications Systems was awarded two contracts by the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing, Jerusalem District, for planning and carrying out the relocation of communication infrastructure in public spaces in the settlements of Efrat, Beit El, Beitar Illit, Givat Ze’ev, Geva Binyamin (Adam), Ma’ale Adumim, Ma’ale Efraim and Kiryat Arba in the West Bank. The first contract awarded in January 2021, was valued at 4 million NIS, and lasted through 31 December 2021. The second contract in January 2022, amounted to 10 million NIS, and is valid through 31 December 2022.

Another fully owned Israeli subsidiary, Hot Mobile (formerly MIRS) holds since 2002, an ICA permit to provide cellular services to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. For its license to operate in Area C of the occupied West Bank, Hot Mobile has provided the ICA with a bank guarantee of NIS 4 million valid through December 2022. Hot Mobile also pays royalties to Israeli settlements.

As of February 2022, Hot Mobile has at least 242 active cellular antennas and telecommunication infrastructure facilities in occupied territories, 44 of which are located in the occupied Syrian Golan, while the others are located in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Some of the company’s antennas are located in the Seam Zone area areas in the occupied West Bank as well as an antenna at Hizma checkpoint in the West Bank and one antenna at Erez checkpoint besieging the Gaza Strip.  All of the antennas are part of a joint network with Partner Communication and are operated by P.H.I, which is owned by Hot Mobile and Partner Communications. Some of this infrastructure is located on private Palestinian land.

In 2018 Hot Mobile also won a tender to supply cellular devices to municipal employees in the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. Hot Mobile operates selling points in the settlement of Katzrin in Occupied Syrian Golan. The company also allows customers to join its services through Israeli Post Office branches located in the settlements of Alon Shvut, Efrat (Efrata), Ariel, Beit Aryeh-Ofarim, Beitar Illit, Giv'at Ze'ev, Modi'in Illit, Ma'ale Adumim in the Occupied West Bank.

Additionally, the company enjoys the structural advantages of Israeli cellular services providers over Palestinian service providers in the Palestinian market. Hot Mobile operates two sales and customer service centers in Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem and allows customers to join its services through Israeli Post Office branches located in Pisgat Ze'ev and in Palestinian neighborhoods in Occupied East Jerusalem. The Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem are off limits for the Palestinian cellular companies and therefore constitutes a captive market.

Between 2005 and 2011, Hot Mobile was the exclusive provider of cellular phone services to the Israeli army; this included the infrastructure set for use throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. At the time, the company had at least 200 antennas set inside military bases of the Israeli army.

Additionally, the company provided communication services to the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in a total amount of NIS 228,959 between 2015 and 2017.

Moreover, Hot Mobile operated the communication network installed in the Jerusalem light rail's motor coaches. The light rail connects settlement neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem with the western part of the city.

Moreover, two of Altice’s subsidiaries, Hot Telecommunications Systems and Hot Mobile, provided services to the Israeli Police. Between 2019 and 2020, Hot Mobile provided communication services to the Israeli Police in a total amount of NIS 135,988. Between, 2013 and 2015 the company was the only provider of Push to Talk (PTT) devices for the Israeli Police in a contract worth NIS 400,000 and in a contract worth NIS 1,200,000 running between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, between 2019 and 2021 Hot Telecommunications Systems was awarded a NIS 554,275 for the provision of television services to the Israeli Police in addition to a 2016 contract which amounted to NIS 300,000. Furthermore, the company provides services to the Israeli Prison Services (IPS) in a total amount of NIS 2,269,392 between 2015 and 2018.

Between 2015 and 2017, the company’s services were provided to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority in a total amount of NIS 950,394.