MIRS Communication, an Israeli wireless company, has decided to cater towards a demographic largely neglected by major cell phone companies; the one-million-strong ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Dubbed the "kosher" phone, a stamp signifying its approval by rabbinical authorities will be displayed; recommending the haredi community members to take out contracts with MIRS.

The kosher phones are actually Motorola phones, but specially modified to disable Internet access, SMS text services, and video and voicemail applications; features deemed threatening to their conservative way of life, particularly with the young.

Rabbis say that they are not against technology. But fears exist that the latest feature-packed phones could allow corrupting influences to be easily accessed. Currently, televisions are banned from homes because of the likelihood that images of scantily clad women could be viewed. And radio is even frowned upon. In most cases community newspapers are mostly free of images, except for the occasional rabbi.

MIRS expects the kosher phone to attract up to 100,000 users to its 300,000-strong subscriber base, even providing special plans charging extra-low prices for those calling within the network and relatively high tariffs to those calling outside.