Telecommunications Minister Jamal Jarrah Friday announced a plan to revamp the landline communications network in Lebanon. “As soon as the improvements [to the landline network] are finished, 500,000 additional landline numbers will become available,” Jarrah said, speaking during the project’s launch ceremony at the Grand Serail.
Jarrah also promised upgraded fiber optic networks, improved internet services and new data bundles would soon be available, particularly to students.
The minister stressed that the new telephone land lines will enable the Telecommunications Ministry and state-owned landline operator Ogero to speed up the DSL connection all over Lebanon.
“This is the first phase of the project to revamp the telecom services in Lebanon and the second phase is to install fiber optics. We have decided to start the installment of the fiber optics from the rural areas all the way to the major cities like Beirut,” Jarrah explained.
He added that Ogero promised to complete the installation of the new landlines in a matter of weeks and not months.
Jarrah said that Ogero would have different types of internet services from student packages to those for heavy users.
He also spoke about upgrades to the country’s mobile infrastructure. “At the end of February we will upgrade the internet service to 4G and at the end of March of this year this service will cover at least 85 percent of Lebanese territories,” Jarrah said.
He stressed that users will experience real 4G speed and not only see the 4G sing in their mobiles.
Jarrah said that these services were introduced at the request of the government and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Also in attendance, Hariri hailed the move and assured that the minister and Ogero are keen to complete the fiber optics across all of Lebanon in a short period of time.
The prime minister said President Michel Aoun wants the installation of the fast internet to start in rural areas and then come to the cities.
He added that the IT sector is one of the main economic drivers for many countries and that Lebanon should follow the same path.
Activists and businesses have long lobbied for improved and less costly telecoms services.
Source: https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/story/Lebanon_to_add_500000_landlines-DS25022017_dsart-395050/