In the old country, setting up an internet service was easy - just one phone call and you're online, right? Israel is a new country with excellent broadband and widespread free wi-fi, but setting up an internet service comes with its own complexities!

For complex historical reasons, the internet in Israel is delivered by two companies - one provides the infrastructure (called tashtit) and the other company (sapak) is the internet service provider (ISP). If you have a problem, it is not unusual for each company to blame the other, and you have to negotiate with the technical support teams of both companies (in Hebrew!) to find out where the fault lies. Welcome to Israel!

There are currently two main infrastructure providers in Israel, and your choice may be limited by where you live. Bezeq is Israel's phone company that laid most of the country's original cabling, while HOT started out providing cable TV services, so they may not cover areas where the demand for TV is low or cabling uneconomical, such as chareidi neighborhoods and rural areas.

Today some internet service providers can help you to arrange the tashtit service or to take over an existing tashtit account if they have a relationship with the relevant company, but you will still be billed separately and you may need to talk to two technicians. For example, Bezeq International offers internet service as a sapak and they can set you up with the infrastructure through Bezeq, but you must open accounts with both companies.

Annatel is an English and French-speaking company that offers a combined tashtit + sapak package through HOT. We make it easier to set up your internet service with one call and one bill, providing customer service and technical support in English to make the whole process easier. We also offer 3G Internet for handheld devices in areas without internet or wifi coverage. Click here to find out more.