Six months after a fragile ceasefire ended Israel’s full-blown war on Lebanon, many villages in South Lebanon remain without reliable phone lines or internet. In some border areas, telecommunications infrastructure is still badly damaged, leaving residents without access to emergency services, schools, and work.
Despite official claims of an 80% restoration, Minister of Telecommunications Charles Hajj acknowledged during a recent visit that dozens of network stations remain out of service. He said that 71 of 82 fixed-line Ogero centers were back online and that Alfa and Touch mobile services had returned to around 80–90% capacity.
But in areas like the Nabatieh District and Iqlim al-Tuffah, residents continue to report outages. Local providers say ongoing security risks have prevented full-scale repairs, deepening digital isolation across the south.
On Wednesday, May 21, fixed internet services (DSL) were cut off in several villages, including Nabatieh, Arabsalim, Baysariyeh, Jibsheet, Jbaa, Kawthariyat al-Siyad, al-Duwair, al-Sharqiyyeh, and al-Ghassaniyeh, impacting schools and businesses, according to the National News Agency.
Subscribers called on the Minister of Telecommunications and Ogero to “resolve the issue given the connectivity needs of students, universities, banks, and commercial institutions.”
“The situation worsened after the war ended, which affected my work, cost me a great deal of money, and forced me to carry out my field reporting without any network coverage,” expressed Rana Jouni, a journalist living in the Nabatieh area.
“The blackouts limit my ability to communicate, whether to complete work, handle emergencies, or deliver live reports to the media outlet I work for.”
As a field reporter, Jouni has had to use two SIM cards from the Lebanese telecom companies Alfa and Touch to secure better coverage, as network strength varies between the two depending on location.
She often has to commute to Saida, a nearby city, to complete her work and send her daily reports. Jouni bears three separate bills: one for each of her two mobile SIM cards and a third for her cable internet service. This is apart from two other internet bundles with fees “among the highest in the world.”
No Clear Plans for Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications
SMEX raised these and other pressing questions and concerns to the Ministry of Telecommunications, which described its repair efforts in the South as a significant achievement. The response from an anonymous source at the ministry of communications came in short, however.
According to our source, the network’s improvement in South Lebanon was made possible thanks to the combined efforts of Touch, Alfa, and Ogero teams, despite the challenges.
They told SMEX that maintenance is ongoing and will gradually reflect in the quality of service across all Lebanese regions, but without offering any timeline. He revealed that the ministry plans to deploy mobile base stations and LTE sites in the areas most affected.
However, the reality on the ground in the South contradicts these claims. The ministry has neither presented nor announced any clear action plan regarding how it is addressing the post-war impact on the telecommunications sector.
Without reformed structure in this sector, services will continue being unpredictable. The sector must shift its disorganized and reactive efforts to a structured, more methodical approach capable of overcoming persistent challenges.
The absence of such governance has forced many who rely on the internet for their work to bear the heavy cost of a sector unable to deliver even its most basic services properly.
When asked about journalists and humanitarian workers who rely on stable communication and who have faced isolation during the war, the source said the ministry is “working on proposals to offer dedicated service packages during emergencies or under normal circumstances, and we will announce them once they are ready.”
The source declined to comment on an evaluation of the plan elaborated by the previous Minister of Telecom during the war, although they noted that “most of it was not implemented.”
They also declined to answer SMEX’s question about whether the ministry intends to revisit the plan to address its gaps, stating: “We are not here to judge the previous phase or assign blame to anyone; what matters to us now is achieving technical and operational readiness for any emergency, while at the same time building our plans based on the hope that war will not return.”
Pleading for Connectivity
Ali Amays, a resident of Nabatieh who works in digital transformation said that serious difficulties continue to affect both mobile and landline communications in South Lebanon due to issues with networks, antennas, and communication equipment.
He added that the Minister of Telecommunications’ statement about 80% service restoration is not reflected on the ground, as there has been no improvement in service since the war ended.
Amays also explained that people working in the tech sector rely heavily on the internet for their work, and that the poor service hinders their ability to perform their tasks, forcing them to seek other alternatives.
He also points out that “ordinary people may not notice how bad the service is, unlike those working in tech, requiring high-speed internet.” He expressed his frustration at having to pay four monthly bills for telecommunications services while service quality remains poor, calling on the Ministry of Telecommunications to upgrade the equipment and roll out the fiber optic service in the South.
Zeinab Saad, a resident of Bint Jbeil, told SMEX that she has to climb to her rooftop to find a signal and fears losing communication during an Israeli bombing.
“Ogero services are still down, and residents feel isolated, as if life hasn’t returned to normal in the South. It’s difficult to move around to find coverage, and the bills are high for a service that’s barely used, especially 3G.”
Why hasn’t the Ministry of Telecommunications installed mobile base stations five months after the war ended? Is it due to a lack of budget allocations for the necessary equipment? Are there staffing issues in the two mobile companies? Or is it the result of political wrangling within both firms?
In any case, the Ministry of Telecommunications is expected to do more and to operate with greater transparency, whether in addressing the war’s aftermath or in preparing plans.
(Photo by Eric Lafforgue / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP)
