Pelephone Acquires Wecom for NIS 265 Million

Pelephone, led by CEO Ilan Sigal, has signed an agreement to acquire the mobile carrier Wecom for approximately NIS 265 million. This deal follows the completion of due diligence and is contingent upon receiving regulatory approvals. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Pelephone's position in the mobile market, where it currently serves about 2.7 million subscribers, including 1.6 million 5G users. With Wecom's subscribers, Pelephone's customer base will grow to approximately 3 million, increasing its market share from 23.5% to about 26%. For comparison, competitor Cellcom has around 3.7 million customers as of the second quarter of 2026. This marks Wecom's second sale in four years, having been acquired in 2022 by Yariv Lerner and Clearmark Capital from Hazi Bezalel for about NIS 100 million. Pelephone's move comes after its unsuccessful attempt to acquire Hot Mobile. Hot Mobile, with approximately 2 million customers, was sold in July to the Delys Israel-Keystone-Laumi group for NIS 1.2 billion. Pelephone views this acquisition as a significant step in its growth strategy, enabling it to expand its customer base and enhance its network and services. The company anticipates a positive impact on the EBITDA of its parent company, Bezeq, with estimated short-term synergies of NIS 50 million and long-term synergies of NIS 100 million. Sigal stated that Pelephone is seeking the necessary regulatory approvals and believes the deal will allow the company to continue investing in Israel's advanced telecommunications infrastructure, fostering competition in network quality, service, and innovation for the benefit of all customers and the Israeli economy.