TEL AVIV — In a bid to attract ultra-Orthodox customers, Israel’s dominant telecommunications company on Sunday launched a service that allows users to block pornography and other “improper” materials from their phones.The “Kosher phone service” cost the company $500,000 to develop, according to Bezeq Israel Telecom Chief Executive Officer Avi Gabbay. It has been approved by leading rabbis and will be free of charge to consumers, at least initially.
According to Gabbay, about 90-percent of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community — who typically segregate themselves from the secular world — already are Bezeq customers. In addition to the ultra-Orthodox, Bezeq hopes to sell the service to others concerned about the types of materials available by phone, including parents.
Although cellular carriers already offer a similar service, Bezeq’s move to allow users to censor their land lines is seen as significant — particularly in light of Bezeq’s apparent hope to use religious endorsements to sell the service to secular customers.
Bezeq’s announcement was timed perfectly to coincide with increased marketing for Moniker’s T.R.A.F.F.I.C. West Live Auction on February 20th, when 5,000 .mobi-owned domain names will be auctioned. Among the adult-oriented domain names expected to fetch premium prices are porn.mobi, naked.mobi and vegas.mobi.
