No iPads in Israel: Ministry of Communications Bans Hottest Tech Product

Israel has banned commercial imports of the iPad, the latest and hottest new product from Apple Inc. The reason for the ban? Israel’s Ministry of Communications is concerned that the iPad is not compatible s with the country’s Wi-Fi standards.

Currently, the iPad is not being imported commercially. The ban prevents anyone, even tourists, from bringing the devices into the country until officials certify that the iPad complies with local transmitter standards. Some Israelis were able to bring iPads into the country before the ban recently went into effect.

According to Nati Schubert, a senior deputy director for Israel’s Ministry of Communications, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), allows devices with Wi-Fi capability to broadcast at higher power levels than are permitted in Europe and Israel, which means the iPad’s stronger signal could throw off others’ wireless connections.

Some Israelis are convinced that the Ministry of Communications did an inadequate job. “It seems someone in the communications ministry didn’t their homework,” says Aviv Eilon, an Israeli attorney. Eilon maintains that the iPad meets European standards that are approved by Israel’s Ministry of Communications and that previously approved Apple devices use the same Wi-Fi technology.

Complicating matters is the assertion in some quarters that the iPad’s frequencies might interfere with those used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Robert Ilatov, a legislator in the Knesset’s high-tech lobby said that the Israeli military could give up those frequencies. Other legislators agree with him.

Meanwhile, customs officials have confiscated about 10 iPads so far. The devices are being held by customs, which charges a daily storage fee, until their owners leave the country or ship the gadgets back to the United States at their own expense.

Image: Tom Raftery/ Flickr