Israel plans to shut down the copper network and switch to optical fiber

CTOnews.com, September 20 (Reuters)-Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel said on Tuesday that Israel is considering shutting down the old copper wire network and transferring all communications services to the updated optical fiber infrastructure.

He said in a statement that his department is already considering shutting down the copper wire network and wants telecom providers and the public to express their views by Nov. 24.

The Minister noted that Singapore had shifted to full use of optical fiber, while Australia and New Zealand were at a later stage of the process.

CTOnews.com learned that after years of delays and disputes between Bezeq, Israel's largest telecommunications company, and the Ministry of Communications, Bezeq began deploying its fiber-optic network nationwide in early 2021.

Yoaz Hendel said the ministry is considering moving all telecommunications services to fiber optics.

The old communications infrastructure is insufficient to meet the growing needs of the public. 'they have serious pollution and poor performance,'he said in a statement, noting that the global shift to fiber optic networks is a trend.