In preparation for the peak in computer sales which coincides with the
Jewish holidays and the new school year in Israel, Israeli ISPs and
computer marketers are offering Israeli customers computer packages with
Internet access plans included.
Plenty of advertising money has also poured into the marketing campaigns.
All the offers involve
an ISP Net access commitment at a fixed price, rated in American dollars,
for three years. The promotions may serve as a good deal for
suppliers, since in the next few years the Internet market in Israel is
expected to make a significant shift towards high-speed connections.
Among the most prominent offers, Internet Zahav and the Skal marketing
chain offer British computer Elonex for an initial advance
payment of US$200 and US$25 or US$33 a month for 36 months, depending on
the computer package chosen.
Internet@Bezek International is offering, in co-operation with Office
Depot, two different brands,CIBOX and Champion, each in two different
configurations.
These offers have been a great success, and computer marketers countered the ISPs offers with their own packages — resulting in significant price drops in the PC market. It still
remains to be seen, however, how the pricing wars will affect the total number of people connected to the Internet.