Palestinian telecommunications companies in the West Bank are slated to finally gain access to fourth-generation cellphone service, known as 4G, in the coming months, after years of delays tied to the war in Gaza.

The Israeli Communications Ministry revealed in a statement to The Times of Israel on Monday that, a day earlier, it had ratified agreements recently reached between the main Israeli and Palestinian telecommunications firms, allowing for implementation of the long-pledged upgrade.

The agreements pave the way for the purchase and delivery of 4G equipment needed to transfer Palestinian cellular networks from 3G to 4G, with the process expected to take four to six months before going live, according to an Israeli official and a Palestinian official, who each spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move will not extend to the war-torn Gaza Strip, where Israel only grants cellular providers access to much slower 2G networks. An agreement on principles reached by Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and the Palestinian Authority in December 2022 stipulated that an upgrade in the coastal enclave will require a separate approval from the political leadership in Jerusalem — one that isn’t expected in the foreseeable future, the Israeli official said.

The US, under former president Joe Biden and........

© The Times of Israel