Lebanon's telecommunications sector has suffered significant damage due to Israeli bombings, with initial estimates placing the losses at $117 million.
This was revealed by the caretaker Minister of Telecommunications, Johnny Corm, in an interview with Sputnik.
Corm explained that the estimated figures range between $88 million and $117 million, with final numbers to be confirmed after the completion of an ongoing investigation.
He noted that approximately 30% of the damage was inflicted on the fixed-line telephone network, which sustained severe impacts.
He also pointed out that Lebanon's landline infrastructure has been neglected, with no major investments made since 2017, aside from minor repairs.
As for mobile networks, Corm reported significant damage to infrastructure owned by operators Touch and Alfa.
Before the ceasefire, Touch recorded 190 stations bombed, of which 126 were repaired within a week. Meanwhile, Alfa reported 141 damaged stations, with 79 already rehabilitated.
However, 62 Alfa stations and 64 Touch stations remain out of service. Despite this, only 30,000 of Touch’s 700,000 subscribers are still experiencing internet outages—a figure Corm described as reasonable given the extent of the destruction.
To address these issues, an urgent plan has been put in place to restore internet services in affected areas.
New wireless stations, provided through donations from the Chinese government, will be installed to cover impacted regions in the south, Bekaa, and southern suburbs. The initial phase will see the deployment of 250 stations, with plans to expand to 385 in the next phase.
Corm noted that the mobile sector has a stronger financial position than the fixed-line network. This is largely because telecommunications companies have been able to negotiate with insurance providers to cover a significant portion of the damages.
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