ISRAEL

"Towards an Open Spectrum Policy" - lecture by Yochai Benkler at the Haifa University School of Law, 9 June 2003. Organized by Drs. Niva Elkin-Koren and Michael Birnhack. Summary of the lecture in English.
"Communications Ministry to ease WiFi frequency regulations" by Guy Hadass, Globes Online, 6 September 2004: "The Ministry of Communications today announced that it intends to expand the frequency band allocated for civilian use, and which is exempt from licensing... The new regulations will not require permits for 100 megahertz (MHz) of the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band.... This will come in addition to the 2.4 GHz range that was opened for public use a year ago... The Ministry of Communications said that the trend towards a designated frequency band for free public use, without the need for a permit, has become part of the Ministry's deregulation policy..." [emphasis added]
"Importation and Operation of Bluetooth and WiFi Products Approved in the 2.4 GHz Band, Starting from October 1st 2003," Ministry of Communications press release, 27 July 2003.
"Communications Ministry to allow unlicensed Wi-Fi services" - article by Efi Landau in Globes Online (27 July 2003).
"Civilians may use bluetooth, WiFi from October 31," by Oded Hermoni, The Marker, 1 September 2003 in English.
"Israel legalises Bluetooth wireless technology products," CETECOM Approval News, December 2003 (in English): "From October 1, 2003, the use of Bluetooth devices in the whole band is possible. The Israeli Ministry of Communications intervened to open the 2,4GHz band for civilian use. The band is fully open for Bluetooth Class 2 (2,5 mW) and Class 3 (1 mW) devices..."
The Ministry of Communications' call for public comments on the issue of unlicensed WLANs (January 2003), in Hebrew.
"Jerusalem Going WiFi Monday Afternoon" in Arutz Sheva (Israel National News), 31 October 2004: "The first phase of the program will provide FREE wireless Internet connectivity in the Safra Square, Ben-Yehuda Mall, and Nachlat Shiva areas... In coming months, additional areas around the city will go live..."
"Communications ministry is acting dumb on 'Smart City,' Ariel mayor says," by Matthew Krieger, Jerusalem Post, 17 April 2007: "The mayor of Ariel on Monday accused the Ministry of Communications of hampering Israel's technology progress after the ministry granted only a one-year extension to the trial of its 'Smart City' municipal wireless-mesh network project rather than allowing it permanent status... He went on to accuse the ministry of not wanting to upset the Bezeq telecommunications company or the HOT cable company by giving municipalities the spectrums they need to operate and build their own networks with providers of their choice, which could exclude Bezeq and HOT. 'Right now they can charge whatever they want for their services but if we were to be able to put up our own antennae, they would face competition and could not set prices as freely as they would like,' the mayor said... The Ministry of Communications told the Post that regulatory hearings to determine whether or not to release frequency spectrums to municipalities have been set for two months' time, and until permanent licenses are granted, only Ariel will be allowed to operate its 'wi-mesh' network, as it is not in Israel proper and, therefore, has been designated a different status than cities within the Green Line..." [Ariel is an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank]
תקשורת אלחוטית - low-power wireless page in the Hebrew Wikipedia covers RFID, WiFi, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.
"Ministry approves RFID frequencies," by Guy Hadass, Globes Online, 4 January 2007: "The Ministry of Communications has approved radio frequency identification (RFID) frequencies for civilian use in the 915-918 megahertz range..."
"Wavetrend and Ardan Control Tech to Deploy Largest Healthcare RFID Installation in Israel," Wavetrend press release, 17 June 2008: "Wavetrend Technologies Ltd, a world leader in the deployment of track and trace solutions, announced today that it is set to embark on an active RFID project for the newly built Ashdod Medical Center in Southern Israel, that when completed will represent the largest active RFID installation in the Middle East..."
"Infineon confirms closure of Israeli UWB R&D site," by Amir Ben-Artzi, EE Times Europe, 12 February 2007: "...'"Infineon decided to focus on product sales and marketing, the profits from which we'll see very soon. UWB [ultrawide band] is a future product that does not yet have a standard or market in the foreseeable future, so it was decided to halt development activity in the area at this time.'..."
"Communications Ministry to intensify fight against pirate radio," by Eran Gabay and Zohar Blumenkrantz, Ha'aretz, 8 June 2007: "The Communications Ministry will intensify its fight against illegal radio stations in response to pressure from the Israel Airports Authority (IAA)and strike threats by its employees... The pirate stations have been interfering with air traffic controllers' radio communications with flights entering and leaving Israel, and thereby threatening airline safety... The ministry intends to begin fining advertisers on pirate stations, in order to undermine the legitimacy of such broadcasters, cut their revenues and possibly even force them to close down. On a visit to the IAA Thursday, Communications Minister Ariel Atias said: 'We have stopped the operations of the pirate radio station in Ramallah in a way that is best not spoken about, and I will not provide any more details, but it is clear to everyone that this is not the way.' ...There are still hundreds of illegal radio stations operating in Israel, even though hundreds are shut down every year. Over the last week, nine illegal stations have been closed, with an emphasis on those broadcasting on the same frequencies as airport control towers. In 2006, 130 illegal radio stations were shut down and 23 indictments filed. Since the beginning of 2007, about 50 such stations have been shut down. The issue will be raised at a cabinet meeting next week, and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz... has called an urgent meeting to consider ways of making law enforcement against pirate stations more effective..."

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