Immediate Report - Certification of class action against Bezeq International
Re: Immediate Report – Certification of Class Action against Bezeq International
An immediate report is hereby provided that on January 17, 2021, the Company was informed by its subsidiary Bezeq International Ltd. (“Bezeq International”), that it was notified of the Central District Court’s decision to certify a class action filed against it (and against an additional communications operator) in 2016 which it, inter alia, claimed that Bezeq International is selling its customers Internet speed, despite the fact that the infrastructure in their place of residence does not enable such speed (“the Motion Certification Decision”).
The group in whose name the lawsuit was certified as a class action against Bezeq International includes any customer of Bezeq International who, as of the date of approval of the wholesale market reform in 2015 and until the date of the Motion Certification Decision, entered into an agreement with Bezeq International to acquire an Internet package, and paid for an Internet speed which Bezeq International is not able to provide, taking into account other factors affecting the Internet speed such as the customer's distance from the MSAG, the frequency, the thickness of the copper, the number and length of the splits / connections and the interference from adjacent lines.
The class action, among others, includes monetary remedies in the form of restitution of excess amounts charged from members of the class as well as compensation for non-monetary damages caused to them. The applicant’s individual claim against Bezeq International amounts to NIS 8.2 (monetary damage) and NIS 100 (non-monetary damage), while the aggregate amount of class damages was assessed by the applicant in the certification motion at millions of shekels, but cannot be estimated at this stage.
Bezeq International is currently studying the Motion Certification Decision.
Sincerely,
Bezeq the Israeli Telecommunication Corp. Ltd.
The above information constitutes a translation of the Immediate Report published by the Company. The Hebrew version was submitted by the Company to the relevant authorities pursuant to Israeli law, and represents the binding version and the only one having legal effect. This translation was prepared for convenience purposes only.