In 2015 the mobile phone has attracted almost 500,000 new subscribers, an increase of 11% on an annual basis. According to a survey conducted by the American company Pew Research Center, conducted in 2013, 88% of Lebanese has a cell phone. 74% of Lebanese are between 18 and 34 own a smartphone and 90% of these uses these Internet daily. In addition, the number of data users has increased by over 13% compared to 2014.

In 2015, to advance the modernization of the sector, it was announced by the Ministry of Telecommunications a five-year plan of action with a budget of 750 million dollars, nicknamed Lebanon in 2020: the vision of telecommunications in the digital age. This plan will be implemented in two phases: a first phase with the creation and the implementation of fiber optic network services, and a second phase with the amplification of the coverage of 4G networks on the whole territory. The first phase, whose investment is estimated at 600 million dollars, has as objective the improvement of the fixed telecommunications network capacity and an increase in broadband which aims to bring the fiber optic connection in all homes by 2022.

The second phase, whose investment is estimated at 150 million dollars, has the aim to gradually spread the fourth generation networks (4G) over all Lebanese territory from 2017, arriving in 2020 to 5G.

The two local mobile operators, Alfa and Touch, managed by the Egyptian group Orascom and Kuwaiti group Zain, holding, respectively, 48 and 52% of the mobile market in Lebanon. Both managers have signed agreements with international telecom companies for the gradual spread of 4G + networks from September 2016.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews