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For some time now, the public provider of landline and Internet services, Ogero, has been reporting outages across the country. The cause is a lack of funds to purchase fuel to run the central office generators and to ensure maintenance. However, the outgoing Minister of Telecommunications seeks to reassure, asserting that no widespread outage is on the horizon.
The public landline and Internet provider, Ogero, has been reporting an increasing number of outages across the country due to a lack of funds to purchase fuel to run the central office generators and to ensure maintenance. It should be noted that Ogero is suffering from a severe lack of resources, leading to significant malfunctions. However, outgoing Minister of Telecommunications Johnny Corm sought to reassure on Monday morning, stating to This Is Beirut: “There is no fear of a widespread Internet outage in Lebanon.” He indicated that, as usual, his ministry “will receive the funds at the last minute to carry out the required maintenance.” He emphasized that the problem lies in the established mechanism, noting that funds generated by the telecommunications sector are transferred to the Ministry of Finance and then spent through the budget of the Ministry of Telecommunications, which provides the necessary funds. In other words, the Ministry of Telecommunications does not have its own money.
Corm noted that, since January 2024, the Ministry of Telecommunications has not received a single dollar for the maintenance of Ogero’s network. It is important to know that the budget of the Ministry of Telecommunications is 2,200 billion Lebanese pounds per year. The minister reminded that even the $13 million that were supposed to be paid last year have not yet been disbursed.
Nevertheless, he asserted that “the financial crisis is on the verge of being resolved and telecommunications services will not stop,” even though “the Ministry of Finance has still not released the necessary funds for the payment of employee increases or those needed for network maintenance, hence the repeated outages at Ogero.” He assured, however, that “the required amounts are included in the 2024 budget and have therefore been approved.”
Corm also lamented the fact that his ministry cannot issue invoices since the VAT has not been paid, as the funds are not available.
It should be noted that many cables needed for network maintenance or development are not available due to insufficient funds to purchase them. The same goes for machines that are now out of service. Additionally, all the generators powering the Authority’s centers are defective and cannot be replaced.
It is important to note, also, that in the event of an outage or malfunction on the Ogero network, Internet services throughout the country are affected since the operator provides data to all Internet service providers.
Regarding the strike by his ministry’s employees, Corm explained that “the tension arose in the context of the administration’s decision to implement the fingerprint attendance system to confirm presence and to place GPS on ministry-owned cars, which angered the employees.”