GoIsrael Community

 There are a number of options available for having a cell phone for your use during your upcoming visit to Israel.  We cannot provide you with detailed pricing information so that you will have to investigate the various options yourself to see which best suits your needs.

For more information on renting a cell phone in Israel, please note the following information found on the "goisrael" web-site:

Cellular Phones

Cellular phones are now in widespread use in Israel. Most Israelis, including children, have at least one. There are three companies that operate cellular phone networks - Pelephone, Cellcom, and Orange. Cellular phones can be rented from any of these companies at Ben Gurion Airport.

It is against the law in Israel to talk on a cellular phone while driving without using a speaker phone. If you are renting a car and plan to use a cellular phone, request a car with a speakerphone.

You can also search "cell phone rental Israel" on any major search engine and find additional companies in Israel that offer cell phone rentals.  As far as renting an international phone in your home country, you should compare prices and service for that option as well.

In any case, having a cell phone at your disposal is a practical decision that will make it easier for people to reach you and for you to have easy access to a phone for both domestic and international calls.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon. 

 My father was just here and bought a phone with a prepaid 200 NIS for the total of 300 NIS.

Its a simple one without all the fancy quirks - Just a phone

It was bought in downtown jerusalem and is on the Pelephone (Israeli cell company) network. I'm sure you could find other operators as well.

I'm sure you can get one everywhere else.

Note that Pelephone does not support GSM so you can't take the phone and roam with it in naighboring countries. 

My father thought it would be a good investment to have for when he's here. He's got his own number in Israel when ever he comes.

Take notice that there are shops that try to sell refurbished phones with a 3 month warrenty if thats a problem in your view. Just something to notice

Gilgud 

If you have a GSM phone that has support for European frequencies, you can just bring it with you and it will work. If you plan on staying for more than a week or two, you should buy a prepaid local SIM card to significantly cut your costs.

 Where are sim cards sold? Is it the same as other countries where you can buy a sim card in 7-11 convenience shops?

You can't buy the SIM card itself from convenience stores though you can refill it there. The card itself can be purchased from the operators' stores, which fortunately can be found in shopping malls and generally anywhere.

Itwas quite easy. I just walked into cellphone retailer in Jerusalem with my unlocked phone and bought the Orange sim card for 120 NIS with a balance of 40. NIS.