Boutros Harb to operate Alpha and Touch

Contracts with current operators
expire at the end of April

The contracts of the two mobile operators, Alfa and Touch, will expire on April 30. Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, announced that he will start operating the mobile telephony sector directly as of next month, unless an agreement is reached regarding the tender by April 29.

Gilbert Najjar, Head of the Owner Supervisory Board at the Ministry of Telecom (MoT), said: “The law permits the minister to directly operate the sector, assisted by the Owner Supervisory Board,” he said. Najjar said that this task is authorized only to the minister himself, not to the ministry. He said that the same measures were taken in 2009.

“We are able to operate the sector without any time limitations, but our aim is to reach a final tender to assign operators tasked to manage the sector,” he said.

Harb had presented the terms of reference for the tender to the Cabinet nine months ago, but they have not yet been passed.