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1999 Annual Report
Accomplishments: Offering Better Customer Service
Developing a strong management is one of our most important goals. Having a professional management cadre assures that our services will be delivered expertly and at the accelerated pace we desire. The first step was to adopt administrative guidelines for directing all activities and operations. Every facet of the operation is covered by these detailed guidelines: administrative, financial, purchasing, warehousing, etc., throughout the company, down to the individual work site.
Organizational charts are made for all departments, sections, and the positions within them. These charts are invaluable in assuring smooth work flow between units,
and for recruitment, promotions, performance evaluations and future planning for human resources purposes.
Our management and staff are supported by investments in the latest technology effecting all phases of the business, including equipment, supply monitoring, billing, financial and administrative information and electronic archives. This combination of resources - a well trained and conscientious management, backed by some of the best technology the world can supply - makes it possible to accomplish the advances in installations and customer services chronicled in this report.
Finally, our efforts in implementing quality controls enabled PalTel to obtain the ISO 9002 certificate by the
SGS UK, LTD., for International Certification Services, in recognition of the initiation of a company-wide Total Quality Management System (TQM), to improve service quality and customer satisfaction.
PalTel is the first quality assured telecommunication firm complying with ISO 9002 Standard in the Middle East region. This certificate is the first indicating the implementation of the TQM among 33,000 certificates awarded by the SGS for
companies around the world.
Employees
Employees increased to 1,972 by the end of 1999, compared to 846 at the end 1997; an increase of about 133 percent. Specialized training programs have been executed throughout all technical, financial, and administrative fields; specifically 65,220 training hours for over 1,953 employees during 1999.
Phone line installations increase by 300 percent in three years
PalTel succeeded in installing about 54,927 new lines during 1999. Total installations accomplished through the past three years reached about 138,679, surpassing the number of the operating lines available during the occupation period, which
amounted to 83,331 lines at the end of 1996.
Telephone line increase in the West Bank and Gaza
By the end of 1999, operating lines reached about 222,198 lines. The Lines Available and Line Increases tables illustrate the increase ratio of the operating telephone lines in both Gaza and the West Bank regions.
Lines Available - Gaza and West Bank by year
| year |
WB Region |
Gaza Region |
Total |
| 1996 |
59,383 |
23,946 |
83,331 |
| 1997 |
77,478 |
33,415 |
110,893 |
| Increase ratio 1996/1997 |
30% |
38% |
33% |
| 1998 |
114,419 |
52,852 |
167,271 |
| Increase ratio 1997/1998 |
48% |
58% |
51% |
| 1999 |
153,813 |
68,385 |
222,198 |
| Increase ratio during both 1996/1998 |
93% |
118% |
100% |
| Increase ratio 1998/1999 |
34% |
29% |
33% |
| Increase ratio during 1996/1997/1998/1999 . |
159% |
182% |
166% |
| City |
Number of lines in 1996 |
Number of lines in 1999 |
Rate of
increase |
| Jenin |
5,566 |
14,431 |
159% |
| Tulkarem |
6,027 |
14,565 |
142% |
| Qalqiliya |
2,762 |
7,124 |
158% |
| Nablus |
14,559 |
30,977 |
113% |
| Ramallah |
10,264 |
28,920 |
182% |
| Jerusalem |
5,885 |
13,742 |
134% |
| Bethlehem |
8,191 |
16,960 |
107% |
| Hebron |
6,129 |
27,049 |
342% |
| West bank Region |
59,383 |
153,813 |
159% |
| Gaza |
14,839 |
35,610 |
140% |
| Khan Yonis |
3,456 |
10,172 |
194% |
| Rafah |
1,402 |
6,492 |
363% |
| Jabaliya |
2,508 |
8,429 |
236% |
| Dier El Balah |
1,743 |
7,682 |
341% |
| Gaza Region |
23,948 |
68,385 |
186% |
| Palestine |
83,331 |
222,198 |
167% |
Offering Telephony Services to Rural Areas
PalTel's first and foremost concern is serving all the Palestinian citizens and reaching all localities without exception. Executing the switch and outside plant projects
assisted in making this dream tangible. The results: 177 localities throughout Palestine have been connected to telephony services during 1999. A total 346 villages received
the necessary network preparations and telephony services by the end of 1999 (See table).
More Areas Connected
| Area |
Villages & Camps |
| Jenin
|
39 |
| Qalqiliya |
26 |
| Tulkarm |
38 |
| Nablus |
38 |
| Ramallah |
40 |
| Jerusalem |
20 |
| Jericho |
8 |
| Bethlehem |
29 |
| Hebron |
53 |
| Khan Younis |
12 |
| Deir El-Balah |
7 |
| Rafah
|
5 |
| Northern Gaza |
6 |
| Salfit |
15 |
| Gaza |
5 |
| Tubas |
5 |
| Total |
346 |
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In addition, further telephony networks in about 130 villages and localities are in preparation and are scheduled to be activated during 2000. The total for Palestinian localities served now rates 90 percent of total population.
Public Payphones
PalTel installed a total of 2,031 outdoor and indoor payphones by the end of 1999, distributed as 1,382 in the West Bank and 649 in Gaza. PalTel has awarded another
contract for an additional 2,000 payphones to facilitate spreading this vital service.
More Customer Service Centers Opened
Since assuming its responsibilities, PalTel has focused its efforts on opening new customer service centers to serve the largest number of Palestinian citizens possible. By the end of 1999, PalTel opened 21 new centers, five in the Gaza region
and 14 in the West Bank region:
1.Gaza 2.Jabaliya,
3.Khan Younis 4.Deir El Balah,
5.Rafah 6.Ramallah,
7.Nablus 8.Hebron,
9.Tulkarm 10.'Ateel,
11.Em Esh-Sharayet 12.Jenin,
13.Qalqiliya 14.SalFit
15.(Ar-Ram or Jerusalem area), 16.Jericho
17. Abu Deis 18.Dura 19.Yatta
20. Zahrieh 21. Bethlehem.
Work is currently proceeding on opening further centers in Tubas, Bethlehem, and other additional centers in Gaza and Hebron. The construction of an information center (144) offering services for the West Bank customers was concluded
at Ramallah; another information center is being constructed in Gaza and is expected to start operating soon. As another convenience for customers, office hours have been extended until 6:00 PM every Monday. In addition, a "Subscribers Bill of Rights" has been approved by the MoPT intended to identify rights and duties between the customer and the company.
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