MAP > Internet Providers in Lebanon

This country has been working on being able to improve the fixed infrastructure in the recent years, being driven by telecoms minister Jamal Jarrah. The year 2017, plans were there to introduce new landlines as well as the fiber optic networks installed and fast DSL services. In the year 2018, we have seen significant progress in the area with awarding of license that allows the three existing providers to be able to operate as well as supply the FttH services to the consumers, making use of the Ogero’s government-owned network.

Pricing of the telecom services got raised as the issue in this country in the past, and it has been hoped that new FttH packages, that will only be moderately expensive than the DSL based ones. The country’s telecom market does hold a unique position in the Middle East given the new level of the government involvement while most of the incumbents in this region are usually government owned, within this country, the government ownership does extend to this country’s two mobile operators. Government-owned mobile networks are usually operated by the private companies in return for the management fee, with all the revenue going to the government.

Two networks are in operation, and they are operated by the Zain Kuwait as well as the Orascom of Egypt. Both the operators have been able to launch the 4G LTE services, well underpinning the drive into the mobile broadband as well as presenting the strong alternative to the existing fixed offerings. Operators have also been preparing for the 5G in the year 2018, and the first successful 5G trial got to be conducted in Lebanon. Some of the companies that have been mentioned in this report include Alfa Telecom (Orascom) and Ogero Telecom, Touch (Zain).

Some of the key developments in this report include;
• Improvements to the Lebanon’s broadband infrastructure is going to boost already flourishing digital economy and the startup culture which has attracted the international interest as well as recognition.
• In the year 2018, the first successful 5G trial got to be conducted in Lebanon.
• In the year 2020, the Telecom Vision Projects that were managed by the MoT is going to see some improvements in the fiber optic infrastructure with the plans for the entire country to be covered by the year 2020.
• In 20218, the Ogero Telecom awarded fiber deployment contracts to 3 consortiums SERTA Channels, BMB-Calix, and Powertech company, Nokia.