In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, this issue has been an ever-present one with regard to the cell phone companies there. While I was spending time there, many activists who were working in Palestine would get two SIM cards, (Cellcom, and either Orange or Jawwal), because Cellcom (Israeli) and Jawwal (Palestinian) wouldn't talk to each other. Furthermore, you couldn't call a Cellcom phone from a Palestinian (Paltel) land line.
When I asked for an explanation of this, it had to do with a corporate silent-treatment of sorts; because Paltel/Jawwal (the Palestinian telco) was suing Cellcom for licensing infringement and illegal operation, the Cellcom network decided to boycott the Palestinian phone carriers. This caused all sorts of problems for Palestinian society, and the effect was that everyone in Palestinian areas were ditching the local telco and getting Israeli Cellcom cell phones. Jawwal was facing dire times, after their offices were raided by Israeli military and tech imports were prevented because of blanket security concerns.
For folks on the ground, this was just one more manifestation of the intifada/occupation, even the corporations were going at it.
if we could only spread this idle time-wasting idea to the Pentagon, maybe Iraqis and other people who are under the thumb of the empire could breath a little easier...
Pilot: Uhh... commander... did you say 39 kilometers or 39 miles? Air strike commander: Where's that jack... Oh! Ahem, y'know, somewhere around there. You can figure it out.
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When I asked for an explanation of this, it had to do with a corporate silent-treatment of sorts; because Paltel/Jawwal (the Palestinian telco) was suing Cellcom for licensing infringement and illegal operation, the Cellcom network decided to boycott the Palestinian phone carriers. This caused all sorts of problems for Palestinian society, and the effect was that everyone in Palestinian areas were ditching the local telco and getting Israeli Cellcom cell phones. Jawwal was facing dire times, after their offices were raided by Israeli military and tech imports were prevented because of blanket security concerns.
For folks on the ground, this was just one more manifestation of the intifada/occupation, even the corporations were going at it.
More background available here, here and here.
Pilot: Uhh... commander... did you say 39 kilometers or 39 miles?
Air strike commander: Where's that jack... Oh! Ahem, y'know, somewhere around there. You can figure it out.
*If only more solitaire equalled less killing...