Until now, Israel had a military hegemony on traffic reports; if you wanted to know about congestion on the roads, you tuned into “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) to hear traffic updates a few times every hour. It was not the most efficient method in the world, but we knew of no other way.
Since the meteoric rise of Waze Ltd., almost the entire nation switched to it to get their traffic updates. "IDF Radio" got the message that if you can't beat them, join them. On Thursday, the parties officially announced a business collaboration, which came into effect today. On one hand, the agreement shows "IDF Radio's" flexibility, while demonstrating its helplessness in the face of Waze's takeover of the market.
Under the agreement, "IDF Radio" will use intelligence from Waze in its traffic reports, which is supposed to greatly improve their accuracy and even offer an estimated time of arrival like Waze offers. In future, the parties intend to create active virtual communities which will use Waze's current community platforms to offer better services for Israel's drivers.
"IDF Radio" manager Dalit Ofer said, "It is natural that the two road traffic and safety leaders should link up to provide drivers with the best possible service. 'IDF Radio' will continue to lead the way for its listeners, and from now on, we can also offer them more accurate timing. We are pleased with the collaboration with Waze, and we hope to expand it to other fields in the near future."
Waze VP business development Shmulik Keret said, "Waze is pleased to cooperate with 'IDF Radio', and participate in the unceasing struggle against road accidents and proper driving. 'IDF Radio' is Israel's leading national radio station with an emphasis on service to drivers. It seems obvious and proper to combine forces and lead the field together. 'IDF Radio' will provide its listeners with accurate timing from the list of roads specially built for it. We are also pleased that even people without a smartphone can benefit from the knowledge we provide 'IDF Radio' listeners. This is just the beginning of a collaboration that will grow between the parties."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 9, 2013
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