The General Manager of Ogero Imad Kreidieh said: “We will not allow the service to stop for people this summer, and there have been efforts made by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Ogero towards this goal.”
He pointed out that “the bills have not increased until today, and the Lebanese citizen has the right to complain about the network, but I would like to remind you that the collapse began in 2019, and Ogero has not been able to perform maintenance since then.”
In an interview for a local political talkshow on LBCI, he also mentioned that “the idea of solar energy has been present in OGERO since 2017 to reduce the cost of fuels,” explaining that “alternative energy cost us USD 13 million, and the Minister of Telecommunications tried to implement this project, but unfortunately, we were unable to secure the amount to start the alternative energy project.”
Kreidieh went on to say: “I am optimistic that we will continue to provide internet service beyond the summer with the USD 26 million,” adding that “we still do not know the allocated amount for Ogero in the 2023 budget, and if the budget is approved as proposed by the Ministry of Finance, we will remain in the same predicament.”
He further emphasized the necessity to raise prices, stating that “if we continue with the old tariff, the cost will be higher than the tariff, and it would be better at that point to declare bankruptcy.”
Kreidieh also pointed out that Ogero’s budget before the crisis was LBP 64 billion, the equivalent of USD 42 million, while today, it has reached around LBP 600 billion, the equivalent of USD 6 million.
He concluded by saying that “we have a significant shortage in the number of employees, and I cannot determine the extent of employees’ commitment to their duties, but 90 percent of them are committed. I have previously stated that those who do not wish to commit have the door open for them to leave.”
