SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 9 February 2025, Sunday |

Telecommunications’ fees in Lebanon are now acquired in fresh dollars!

Believe it or not, a call of one minute via the cell phone and a line provided by one of Lebanon’s telecom providers costs $35, making a two-and-a-half-minute conversation more than $100. That was the case of several Lebanese who recently traveled.

Sources close to the telecommunications file told Sawt Beirut International that the issue remains ambiguous, and that the Lebanese state should clarify the situation, as the only companies in the sector are currently owned by the Lebanese state, and deal with their customers in Lebanon on the basis of the official exchange rate, i.e. 1500 Lebanese pounds to the dollar.

Sources have further explained to Sawt Beirut International that the companies operating in the sector consider that they pay the international companies through which the telecommunications pass in fresh dollars, and therefore they cannot acquire telecommunications’ fees at the rate of 1500 Lebanese pounds.

Furthermore, Lebanon’s telecommunications sector, which was once referred to be the country’s wealth, has lost more than 80% of its market value, making it a burden on the Lebanese government and making it impossible for international corporations to invest.

It is enough for the Lebanese to spend the majority of their days turning off and restarting their cellphones in order to stay connected to one of the few operating nets, which have become scarce due to maintenance and the diesel crisis.

    Source:
  • Sawt Beirut International