Partner Communications Company Ltd. ("Partner" or the "Company"), a leading Israeli mobile communications operator (NASDAQ:PTNR)(TASE:PTNR), announced today in a press conference that it intends to commence the "soft launching" (in the form of Friendly User Trials ("FUT")) of its new portfolio of services, thereby taking further step toward realizing the Company´s strategy to evolve and develop from a pure cellular operator to a multi–service communications and media service provider.
Alongside the current content and cellular services the Company is offering today, Partner will build a strong presence in the customers´ premises through the offering of a broad range of new services including ISP services, mail access, Wi–Fi, fixed telephony through Voice over Broadband ("VOB") technology and entertainment multimedia services. These services will be accompanied by innovative and attractive features for the customers´ benefit. Partner will also launch the first multimedia portal in Israel, which will offer a wide variety of leading entertainment content including the latest music, movies, TV series and computer games. The new services will be commercially available in the first half of 2009.
Mr. David Avner, Partner´s CEO, commenting on the event, said: "Partner´s success leans on the tremendous assets built by the Company in the last ten years, which made it a leading cellular company in Israel. Today, the technological developments coupled with the recent trends in consumers´ habits enable us to leverage these assets in order to expand our offer to a new and exciting range of superb telecom and media services.
Partner is taking today a further step toward realizing its strategy to enter the customers´ premises, thereby offering a true added value to its subscribers and strengthening its position as a leading telecommunications company in Israel".
Forward–Looking Statements
This press release includes forward–looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "seek", "will", "plan", "could", "may", "project", "goal", "target" and similar expressions often identify forward–looking statements but are not the only way we identify these statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release regarding our future performance, plans to increase revenues or margins or preserve or expand market share in existing or new markets, reduce expenses and any statements regarding other future events or our future prospects, are forward–looking statements.
We have based these forward–looking statements on our current knowledge and our present beliefs and expectations regarding possible future events. These forward looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Partner, consumer habits and preferences in cellular telephone usage, trends in the Israeli telecommunications industry in general and possible regulatory and legal developments. For a description of some of the risks we face, see "Item 3D. Key Information – Risk Factors", "Item 4. – Information on the Company", "Item 5. – Operating and Financial Review and Prospects" and "Item 8A. - Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information – Legal and Administrative Proceedings" in the form 20–F filed with the SEC on May 6, 2008. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward–looking events discussed in this press release might not occur, and actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward–looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Partner Communications
Partner Communications Company Ltd. ("Partner") is a leading Israeli mobile communications operator providing GSM / GPRS / UMTS / HSDPA services and wire free applications under the orange TM brand. The Company provides quality service and a range of features to 2.856 million subscribers in Israel (as of June 30, 2008). Partner´s ADSs are quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market TM and its shares are traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (NASDAQ and TASE: PTNR).
Partner is a subsidiary of Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited ("Hutchison Telecom"), a leading global provider of telecommunications services. Hutchison Telecom currently offers mobile and fixed line telecommunications services in Hong Kong, and operates mobile telecommunications services in Israel, Macau, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia. It was the first provider of 3G mobile services in Hong Kong and Israel and operates brands including "Hutch", "3" and "orange". Hutchison Telecom, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Limited, is a listed company with American Depositary Shares quoted on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "HTX" and shares listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong under the stock code "2332". For more information about Hutchison Telecom, see www.htil.com.
For more information about Partner, see http://www.orange.co.il/investor_site/
