Telecommunications Minister Charles Hajj announced the launch of a project to upgrade networks and deploy 5G across Lebanese territory over three years.  "The 5G era has begun in Lebanon! The Ministry of Telecommunications and the recently activated Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, in collaboration with mobile operators Alfa and Touch, are launching a three-year project to modernize networks and roll out 5G nationwide," the minister wrote on X.  "Better connectivity, new job opportunities, and GDP growth," he added enthusiastically.  After years under private management, Alfa and Touch have been overseen by the Telecommunications Ministry since 2020.  Two weeks ago, Nawaf Salam's government formed a committee to examine the future of the two operators in coordination with the recently established regulatory authority, more than 20 years after the law that established it.  This move follows a request submitted in September by the ministry to obtain government authorization to take the necessary administrative and legal steps to launch an international call for tenders for the management and operation of the two networks.  Lebanon's telecommunications infrastructure lags far behind developed countries and offers rather expensive services.  The country has been slow to establish a clear timeline for 5G rollout. In addition, IMS infrastructure (IP Multimedia Subsystem), essential for integrating voice, video, and data over IP, remains partially or completely nonexistent.  This technical gap isolates the country from the global digital shift and hampers the development of modern, integrated, and secure services.  The existing 4G network also experiences occasional outages and fails to operate uniformly nationwide, raising questions about the expected performance of 5G.  The ministry's announcement comes one week after the government's decision to grant Starlink a two-year license to provide internet distribution services throughout Lebanon via SpaceX satellites, Elon Musk's company.   (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: L'Orient Today