First 50Mb/s Internet
connection put online

460,000 users to be connected

to fiber optics in one year

OGERO has installed 36 active cabinets (smart) to its Bchamoun central, as the first milestone in the public fiber optics project FTTX. The project includes ‘Fiber-to-the-Home’ and ‘Fiber-to-the-Cabinet’, and ensures an Internet connection speed of at least 50 Mb/s.

Imad Kreidieh, Director General of OGERO, said that fiber optic connections will be deployed at 40 additional centrals during the first half of the year 2019. OGERO expects 467,000 clients to use the FTTX network, increasing from an estimated 125,000 users by year-end 2018, Kreidieh said.

End-users will benefit from the 50 Mb/s speed, and will get triple-play services including TV and voice. Jamal El Jarrah, Minister of Telecommunications, said that three service providers submitted their requests at the Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT) to use the FTTX to provide Internet Protocol TV service (IPTV) and video-streaming content. The MoT is still assessing the technical aspects of the requests. Jarrah said that a revenue-sharing business model will be applied, but final percentages will be determined at a later stage.

OGERO will propose a new pricing structure for bigger Internet bundles taking into account higher capacity needs. However, such a model has to be approved by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet approved a $100 million advance to OGERO in October 2017. The FTTX will cost an estimated $283 million, and is planned to be finalized in 2022. OGERO estimates that revenues from the FTTX network can reach $1 billion in a four-year period.