Hey all,

Planning a trip to Lebanon in a couple of weeks and needed to ask you a few questions.

My cellphone is currently locked and I don't plan on unlocking it. So I will have to either buy an unlocked gsm phone here before I go or buy one in Lebanon. My first question is, how much do extremely basic phones cost in lebanon, just the hardware not the line? Can I get something for, say, $25 or am I looking for something in the $100-200 range?

Second question is, I might be able to get a temporary unlocked smartphone to take with me. I know you can buy temp lines in Lebanon but what I don't know is, is it possible to add internet access to these somehow? I know 3G is out of the question, but Edge/WAP or whatever, do you think these would have them? And is what's available good enough for things like foursquare and twitter?

Thanks,

Practo
I doubt you'll find something worth 25 USD and have the capabilities of Wap internet access. But my guess is you'll definitely find something second-hand worth 100 USD.

The only temporary lines available are the pre-paid ones and those would give you 25 MB per month worth 5 USD. Also, be careful, you'll have to wait till the end of the month to recharge your quota once it depletes. Considering you'll be using your internet access for light stuff such as Twitter and FourSquare, I guess the 25 MB will be enough.
there are shops that rent phones , specifically Damerji cell near Phoenicia , the line costs practically nothing .
14 days later
So I'm leaving to Lebanon this afternoon.

Someone mentioned that I could rent a cellphone (line and hardware). Do you know if this is possible at all of the small cellphone shops? And do you know how much that would cost?

Thanks.
Enjoy your trip Pratco and investigate the power engineering industry for us please.

Allah ywaslak bi kheir.
Practo , kornish il mazra3a there is a shop , forgot its name , on the main road before katranji . and damirji cell near Phoenicia Beirut ! have a safe flight .
Xsever wroteEnjoy your trip Pratco and investigate the power engineering industry for us please.

Allah ywaslak bi kheir.
Lol. I've heard that the current state of the grid in Lebanon has improved a bit from a few years ago. Hope it keeps improving. I've always wanted to go back there after I've gained a bit more experience to help as much as I can. Few more years.

And jad, thanks for your input. I will try to find it, but Beirut might be a bit tough for ms to get to. We'll see.

1 more hour. Can't wait.

Thanks again guys.