Lebanon’s Council of Ministers has ratified a decree ordering fixed internet and fixed telephony tariffs to be raised by 7% for residential services and 5.6% in the corporate services sector. News site Al Arabiya notes that state-owned fixed line incumbent Ogero’s services will be charged at higher rates including one-off connection fees, fixed voice call packages and all types of fixed internet access tariffs (including xDSL, fibre, dedicated lines and others). It is expected that the tariff rises will take effect before the end of the year, with Ogero in dire need of extra funds to cover operating costs. More than 70% of Ogero’s purchasing requirements – including international bandwidth, imports of spare parts and licences to support contracts – are paid in US dollars, causing major problems due to Lebanon’s devalued currency. Furthermore, an anonymous source in the Ministry of Telecommunications told Al Arabiya that the latest price rises will be insufficient to cover all of Ogero’s operating deficits.
Previous telecoms service fee increases made in July 2022 were defended by Mr Corm as a vital measure to return the sector to profitability and prevent networks from shutting down.
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2023/08/07/government-orders-new-telecoms-tariff-hikes/