Israel-MNOs-Ref

Structured reference on Israeli mobile network operators (MNOs) and the mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that ride on them, as a hierarchical JSON dataset with a schema.

Six network-owning or spectrum-holding operators, nine retail MVNOs nested under their hosts, and fourteen further MCC 425 PLMN codes that are not Israeli retail mobile brands but which anyone reading a 425 code in the wild will run into.

Layout

Path	What
data/operators.json	The dataset
schema/operators.schema.json	JSON Schema (draft 2020-12) it validates against
scripts/validate.py	Schema pass plus the cross-reference checks a schema cannot express
docs/schema-guide.md	Field-by-field guide, and why the hierarchy is shaped this way
docs/spectrum.md	Israeli spectrum landscape: the 2020 5G auction, who holds what, the 2G/3G shutdown
docs/market-structure.md	Who actually owns and operates what, including the sharing arrangements that make "how many networks are there" a hard question
docs/methodology.md	Confidence levels, how disputes are recorded, and the open questions

The shape of the data

operators[]                 one entry per network-owning or spectrum-holding operator
  ├─ name / description
  ├─ operator_type          "MNO" | "MVNO"
  ├─ carrier_id             { mcc, mnc, plmn, tadig, additional_plmn }  or null
  ├─ host_mno               null for a true MNO; the operator id otherwise
  ├─ frequencies_4g         { inherits_from_host, bands[] }
  ├─ frequencies_5g         { inherits_from_host, bands[] }
  ├─ subscribers_est        { value, range, as_of, basis, confidence, sources }
  └─ mvnos[]                same record shape, operator_type "MVNO", host_mno required

The hierarchy is the host relationship: an MVNO sits inside the array of the network that carries its traffic. host_mno says the same thing as a field so the record still makes sense when it is lifted out of the tree, and validate.py fails if the two disagree.

Operators that hold spectrum but run no radio network of their own — Golan Telecom and Marathon 018 Xphone — stay at the top level with host_mno set and frequencies_*.inherits_from_host true. They are not MVNOs, and treating them as such would lose the fact that they were named parties in the 5G auction.

Using it

pip install jsonschema        # optional; without it only the cross-reference pass runs
python3 scripts/validate.py

# every operator and its host
jq -r '.operators[] | .id, (.mvnos[]? | "  \(.id) -> \(.host_mno)")' data/operators.json

# resolve a PLMN
jq -r --arg p 42519 '
  [ .operators[], .operators[].mvnos[]? ]
  | map(select(.carrier_id.plmn == $p))
  | .[] | "\(.name.en)  (\(.operator_type), host: \(.host_mno // "none"))"
' data/operators.json

# every 5G band actually held, by operator
jq -r '.operators[] | select(.frequencies_5g.bands | length > 0)
  | "\(.name.en): \([.frequencies_5g.bands[].band] | join(", "))"' data/operators.json

Reading the confidence markers before you trust a number

Not all of this is equally solid, and the dataset says so rather than flattening it. confidence is attached to individual values, not to records:

• confirmed — stated by a primary or regulatory source: an ITU bulletin, the Ministry of Communications, or a listed company's own reporting.
• reported — stated by a credible secondary source.
• inferred — deduced from adjacent facts, stated nowhere.
• unverified — placeholder; treat as unknown.

PLMN assignments are almost all confirmed, because the ITU publishes them. MVNO host attributions are mostly reported and rest on a single consumer-facing source; there is no public register of Israeli wholesale agreements. Where sources contradict each other the record carries a disputed block listing each claim with its source and the call that was made. See docs/methodology.md.

Currency

Last verified 2026-08-04. Two things in here are actively moving and should be re-checked before use:

• Pelephone's acquisition of HOT Mobile. Non-binding MoU at NIS 2.1bn in November 2025, raised to NIS 2.3bn in January 2026 with no binding agreement executed. If it completes it redraws the market: HOT Mobile's spectrum, its PHI Networks joint radio network with Partner, and its wholesale hosting all become open questions.
• 900 MHz refarming. Israel shut down 2G and 3G on 31 December 2025, freeing 800, 850 and 900 MHz. Per-operator redeployment of that spectrum is not yet confirmed and is recorded as inferred / status: unknown.