The largest Lebanese data network operator, GlobalCom Data Services (GDS), in early October announced the creation of a wireless broadband service, which will finally provide fast internet access to residential internet subscribers. Operated in partnership with the ministry of telecommunications and three Internet Service Providers, the service would offer home users a choice of 128, 256, or 512 kbps in access speed for fees ranging between $45 and approximately $150 per month, said GDS director Mahassen Ajam.
Wireless broadband would be at least three times faster than dial-up phone access.
GDS set a realistic target of 20,000 subscribers at the end of the first year of operations, with coverage to all cities in Lebanon. According to Ajam, GDS invested $12 million into the establishment of the wireless network, without receiving any public sector sponsorship. Observers commented that the service is a good step forward but noted that a fee of $45 for broadband access is by international standards not exactly cheap while the investment volume appeared high for the network’s capacity.
During a press conference announcing the new service, telecommunications minister Jean-Louis Qordahi confirmed to Executive that the MOT participates in the revenue of the wireless broadband service and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to fighting all forms of illegal internet access provision. When the independent regulatory authority on telecommunications has been installed, a licensing scheme would replace the current arrangement of profit sharing. “Our policy is to liberalize the market and have the awarding of licenses based on qualifications,” the minister said.
As the new wireless broadband is available at a lesser cost but without the service levels that GDS guarantees to corporate customers, the company declared the new offer to be designed exclusively for residential users. But it is unlikely that GDS or its partner ISPs IDM, Terranet and Cyberia, would refuse subscriptions from small businesses and home offices.
