Landline area codes no longer start with a 0, but with a 2 for fiber-optic subscribers. In other words, if you use internet via fiber optic in Beirut, your area code is no longer 01 but 21. Therefore, 01, 04, 05, 06, 07 and 08 are replaced by 21, 24,25, 26, 27 and 28.
Many callers discovered this accidentally when trying to reach other subscribers and called Ogero to inquire what the problem was.
This decision was taken four years ago, but was only just put into effect without any announcement.
In 2020, the then-Minister of Telecommunications, Talal Hawat, had announced the decision would be implemented “soon.”
When contacted by This is Beirut, the Ministry of Telecommunications stated that this measure was part of the installation of fiber optic in the country. This change in technology would allow for the expansion of the network to otherwise not connected areas.