“Ogero” company announced that “in accordance with the decree to increase the telecom tariff that was approved by the Council of Ministers on 20/05/2022, the tariff schedules will be updated on the website http://ogero.gov.lb at the beginning of next week, to start billing according to the decree on July 1, 2022.”

Ogero Director General Imad Kreidieh described the plan, as approved by the Council of Ministers, as the best possible, and said in an interview with Al-Joumhouria: “We would have preferred that the increase be higher so that we could cover our operational costs, especially since the price of the dollar against the lira is still in the wind, and we do not know when the exchange rate can stabilize.”

He explained, “65% of our needs, whether for maintenance or licensing and spare parts, need a dollar in cash. Today, however, we must balance the purchasing power of citizens with their need for the Internet. Therefore, a two-and-a-half price increase was adopted, which in our opinion is the best possible in light of the economic conditions and distress the country is going through.”

Kreidieh confirmed, “Ogero is only concerned with fixed-line prices and internet packages, and pricing has nothing to do with an exchange platform.”

He believed that the new pricing “does not meet our ambitions in order to continue developing the sector.” Considering that “development has become a luxury that we cannot afford under these circumstances,” explaining that “this new tariff will only ensure the continuity of the sector through operation and maintenance.”

Kreidieh pointed out that “the network is still in good condition, but all sectors suffer from power outages, as our generators operate for more than 20 hours a day in light of the high cost of diesel, which makes it difficult for us to pay the cost of repairing faults and spare parts.”

As for the new pricing, he said: “As for the fixed fee paid by the subscriber, it increased from 7,000 pounds to 9000 pounds. As for the price per minute, it will remain the same without any modification.

With regard to the Internet bill, its value will be multiplied by a rate of 2.5, to become according to the attached table.

Kreidieh expected that “these new prices will lead to an increase in the demand for the “Ogero” network, because it will remain the cheapest compared to the Internet service provided by private companies or the illegal Internet, especially since some of them began to price the Internet bill in dollars, reassuring at the same time that the network Ogero is able to accommodate new subscribers.