Bezeq Chairman Ravad Highlights Foreign Investment Surge and Fiber Strength
Bezeq Chairman Tomer Ravad highlighted surging foreign investment, robust fiber infrastructure, and the need for cellular market consolidation at a recent Globes economic conference.
Bezeq Group Chairman Tomer Ravad spoke with Globes capital markets editor Shai Shalev at the "Seeing Beyond the Trend" conference, held in partnership with Altshuler Shaham Finance. Ravad discussed how Israel is marketed to foreign investors, Bezeq's unique infrastructure position, and the challenges facing the local cellular market.
Addressing foreign investments, Ravad noted that despite geopolitical noise, Israel's strong demographic growth and robust infrastructure attract sophisticated global players. Over the past decade, Bezeq's foreign ownership has surged from under 10% to nearly 40%, with institutional giants like BlackRock and Fidelity taking long-term positions.
Bezeq has completed its massive investments in nationwide fiber-optic infrastructure, connecting every household and positioning the company for exponential data growth driven by artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the group is advancing strategic submarine cable initiatives to link Europe and Asia directly through Israel, bypassing regional shipping bottlenecks in the Red Sea.
Commenting on the domestic cellular market, Ravad described it as bruised and heavily regulated, pointing out that monthly unlimited plans dropping to around 40 shekels hinder necessary investments in 5G infrastructure. He emphasized that the market must continue undergoing consolidation, citing ongoing moves with Wecom following previous mergers like Golan Telecom and HOT Mobile.
