April 3, 2006
'Kosher' Phone to be sold outside of Israel
The developers of the "kosher phone" are now looking beyond the religious enclaves of Israel, reports The Washingtom Post (via IFTF's FUture Now.)
The phones -- carrying the seal of approval from Israel's rabbinical authorities -- are stripped down to its original function: making and receiving calls. There's no text messaging, no Internet access, no video options, no camera. More than 10,000 numbers for phone sex, dating services and other offerings are blocked. A team of rabbinical overseers makes sure the list is up to date.
Talks are under way to introduce a kosher phone to Jewish communities in the United States and other nations possibly later this year. Israeli Arabs -- about 20 percent of the population -- have also taken notice of the phones as a possible option for those trying to protect conservative Islamic sensibilities.
Mirs -- Israel's smallest cell phone in terms of market share -- was the first to take the challenge. But instead of simply blocking the non-call services, the new phones were specially engineered with hardware to prevent upgrades or sharing chips with other handsets.
The kosher phone was ready last March, backed by 80 men and 10 women from Israel's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods who went through a crash course in cell phones and door-to-door pitches. They started spreading the word in synagogues and wedding halls.
By summer, more than 20,000 kosher phones were sold. But it was just a foothold in an estimated market of at least 180,000 cell phone users among Israel's 500,000 ultra-Orthodox. Two of Israel's other three cell phone players have developed their own kosher phones. The options now come in a range of styles and colors -- from staid black to enamel red.
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