Cedarcom News – First step on a 10-mile journey
So is this enough? Do we lack initiative, investments, intelligence, or willingness to rank among the top 10 fastest countries like Lithuania (31 Mbps), South Korea (30 Mbps), Sweden (23.9 Mbps), Romania (23.8 Mbps), the Netherlands (23.7 Mbps), Latvia (23.7 Mbps), Switzerland (20.4 Mbps), Bulgaria (19.4 Mbps), Andorra (19 Mbps), or Singapore (18.5 Mbps)?
8 days later
Nicolas Sehnaoui - Decree Update
Due to Prime Minister Mikati’s travel plan he signed the decree on Tuesday, so with the time it needs to go to the President be signed by him and be sent to the Official Gazette, it won’t make it before this Thursday’s issue. It will most certainly be issued in next Thursday’s official gazette issue. So the implementation will be on 1st of October for all Lebanese users.
Now Lebanon - High Speeds Ahead
While the decree that lowered Internet prices and increased download speeds, passed last month by cabinet, has still not been published in the Official Gazette, the government pamphlet that announces official business, the Ministry of Telecommunications and the private sector are confident new Internet packages will be on offer starting October 1.
and this is new
The new decree also changed the way caps are calculated, Hayek and Farhat said. In the past, a 2GB cap meant users could upload 2GB and download 2GB each month (any extra uploading or downloading came with an additional fee per GB). When the decree is implemented, however, caps (which are set at 4GB, 10GB, 20GB, 25GB and 30GB) will represent a total for uploading and downloading. Most users download far more than they upload. Farhat argued that under the current system, most users are wasting much of their upload cap.
Nicolas Sehnaoui - Decree Update
Decree Update: The Decree was signed by the Prime Minister and the President and is now on its way to the Official Gazette! If everything goes as planned it should be printed in Thursday's issue. One step closer; we will keep you posted!
8 days later
Plus961.com – Here’s to launching the 3G service in Lebanon!
As you can see, download is @ 1.7Mbps which is superb compared to the current internet speeds, while upload is varying between 0.11 and 0.22Mbps. Ping is of course higher that it is supposed to be, and I hope it’ll improve soon. Note that I was in Beirut central district at the time of this test, and I guess speed might vary depending on your location.
4 days later
The Daily Star - 4,000 lucky Lebanese test-drive faster 3G Internet technology
BEIRUT: A lucky 4,000 Lebanese smart-phone users are getting busy exploring the benefits of 3G four days into its long-awaited pilot launch.

“I’ve made more than 7 [Voice-over IP] calls that were international since I got 3G. The connection was excellent,” said Abir Ghattas, one of the founders of youth-powered movement for faster and cheaper Internet, Ontornet.

Ghattas was one of two Ontornet members to be handpicked by GSM-providers MTC touch and Alfa for 3G’s pilot study. She’s sampling the bolstered speeds this month for free.

Telecoms Minister Nicholas Sehnaoui marked Lebanon’s 3G debut this Tuesday at USJ, where the names of some 50 university students who would be part of the pilot project were picked out of a glass box. A select few business-people and civil society members are also enjoying 3G this month.
Daily Star --Lebanese shoppers log on to e-commerce (E-commerce related)
BEIRUT: Despite the country’s notoriously slow and insecure Internet, businesses in Lebanon have begun to tap into a demand for online shopping, fueled by social media networking and a newfound consumer confidence in the safety of credit card purchasing.

“We saw the wave, and we decided to ride it at the right moment,” says Haytham El-Khoja, the co-founder of Mizalla, a Lebanese website set up two months ago that advertises itself as the region’s first online mall.

While well-established international companies have been available in the country for some time, local businesses have remained wary of branching into the market, perhaps put off by consumers’ mistrust of online credit card security, the country’s poor Internet and its lackadaisical approach to formal addresses.
The Daily Star - Fast Internet on track despite delay fears
BEIRUT: Lebanese Internet will press ahead with plans to release a game-changer Internet package in early October, despite widespread speculation that land-line provider Ogero will hold off on the release of needed bandwidth.

The Daily Star has learned that at least two major private Internet service providers will implement an Internet decree passed last month, which reduces end-user DSL prices by 80 percent and raises speeds up to eight times.

The release of the package has been scheduled for Oct. 1.
MTC Touch – 2,000 mtc touch customers embarked on the 3G Journey
The 2,000 customers were chosen based on a draw system and according to predefined criteria, including the compliance of their handsets with 3G and their residence within the 3G coverage area: Beirut, part of Greater Beirut, Saida and Tripoli. In addition to the 2,000 customers, inbound roamers using mtc touch network in Lebanon will also experience the 3G services. A specialized dedicated team will handle customers’ queries to answer all their questions and assist them in anything they might need throughout the 3G Pilot period.
The Daily Star - New offers unveiled for BlackBerry, Internet users
BlackBerry Instant Messaging in Lebanon would see a drop in prices by 33 percent from $40 to $27, and bandwidth caps would increase from 100Mb to 200Mb, Sehnaoui announced as part of a series of “surprises” he promised to revealed prior to the show.
IDM - IDM's New Plans
The Ministry of Telecommunications has issued a new decree related to the Internet Services. The new decree constitutes a long overdue positive development, and meets many of the requests of the Internet Community. It heralds exciting changes that you will gradually experience in the coming days.

As we progressively move forward in upgrading your new plans, you will have the opportunity to feel the new benefits of a faster internet connection throughout the month of October 2011.

IDM has taken proactive measures and started upgrading ADSL connections in a phased approach to reach the ultimate transition plans listed below.

The new ADSL plans provide you with faster connections and more GB for your monthly consumption.
الشرق الأوسط – اللبنانيون يراقبون سرعة الإنترنت وأسعارها منذ صباح السبت
استفاق اللبنانيون صباح السبت الماضي وكلهم فضول لمعرفة ما آل إليه حال خدمة الإنترنت على أجهزتهم، وهل نفذ وزير الاتصالات، نقولا صحناوي، ما وعدهم به، بأن تصبح الإنترنت من 4 إلى 8 مرات أسرع، مع انخفاض في التكلفة يصل إلى 80%؟ وبما أن الوزير أعطى موعدا محددا هو يوم السبت 1 أكتوبر (تشرين الأول)، واعدا المستهلكين بمفاجآت تسر قلوبهم، فقد بدأ رصد المواطنين للمتغيرات، واستغرب البعض أن تبقى السرعة على حالها عند بدء النهار فانهالت الاتصالات التليفونية على شركات الإنترنت التي بدت عاجزة عن الرد إلا في حدود معرفتها. وقال مسؤول في شركة «آي دي إم» للإنترنت لـ«الشرق الأوسط»، أول من أمس، إن عدد المكالمات الهاتفية التي تلقتها شركته من قبل المستهلكين، زاد 3 مرات على الحد المعتاد، للاطمئنان على نوعية الخدمات التي ستقدم لهم. وأضاف المسؤول، الذي رفض ذكر اسمه على اعتبار أنه لا يستطيع أن يجيبنا إلا بما يخبر به أي مستهلك عادي: «لا تمكن زيادة سرعة الإنترنت لكل المستهلكين في يوم واحد، وسيتم الأمر على دفعات، مما يعني أن الأمر قد يحتاج شهرا كاملا».
Note: I could have sworn I did this in English, but google translate is always there.
- الجمهورية هل استعجل الوزير إطلاق الوعود والمواعيد؟
هل استعجل الوزير إطلاق الوعود والمواعيد؟ الإنترنت السريع مؤجّل إلى الأسبوع القادم, تشرين الأول 2011

أكّد رئيس شركة سيدركوم عماد طربيه أنّ سعات شركات الإنترنت لم توضع بعد في الخدمة الفعلية ومن المرجح أن تتأخّر أيّاماً إضافيّة بعد، عازياً ذلك إلى تأخير في آلية التنفيذ بين وزارة الإتصالات وأوجيرو.
Plus961.com http://www.plus961.com/2011/09/cedarcom-wants-to-suspend-3g-in-lebanon/
Do you remember back in March how the guys at Cedarcom pretended to be fighting for a faster internet in Lebanon and gathered more than 40,000 fans around them?

The same guys are now working hard to take us back to state zero by suing the Ministry of Telecommunications for launching 3G! And it might be just a coincidence that the new service can go much faster than their Mobi, which they themselves have admitted it cannot go beyond 1Mbps, at a cheaper price.
Now Lebanon - Just a little bit longer
Boys and girls across the country must be assuming they were bad this year, because almost all woke up to lumps of coal on Internet Christmas. Download speeds were supposed to be faster on October 1. Up to eight times faster. Yet for many, downloading videos on the Youtubes took just as long as ever—even longer, according to some.

“You want a personal anecdote,” a friend asked me in a pub last night when I told him the topic I’d be writing on this morning. “I woke up on Saturday and ran to my computer to download some [adult content], but my speed still sucked.”

Seems those fireworks exploding to the tune of “Ding Dong Merrily on High!" were duds.

Personally, I was once again ridiculed by almost everyone I know.

“Nash, I thought the Internet would get better.”

“You lied again.”

“F*** you.”

It hurts.
Elnashra – "أوجيرو" أعلنت عن انجاز اصلاح عطل الانترنت عبر الكابل البحري
اعلن المكتب الاعلامي لهيئة "أوجيرو" في بيان انه "عند حوالي الساعة التاسعة إلا ربعا من مساء يوم أمس الثلاثاء الواقع فيه 04/10/2011، تم تسجيل عطل على حركة تخابر الإنترنت التي تمر عبر الكابل البحري الIMEWE بسرعة 10GBps، حيث قامت الوحدات الفنية في مديرية تكنولوجيا المعلومات، والمديرية الفنية التابعة لهيئة "أوجيرو" بتحليل أسباب العطل، فتبين أن العطل ليس مصدره الجزء اللبناني من الكابل المذكور. على الفور تم الإتصال بمركز التحكم والتشغيل العائد للكابل البحري ال IMEWE الموجود في الهند لمعرفة أسباب العطل ومكان حصوله. فتبين أن سبب العطل تقني في نقطة تواجد الكابل في مرسيليا ضمن مركز الإتصالات الدولية العائد لشركة فرانس تيليكوم".

واشار البيان الى أنه "قامت هيئة "أوجيرو" بإجراء إتصالات مباشرة مع كل من شركة فرانس تيليكوم في فرنسا وشركة Level3 في بريطانيا لمتابعة أعمال التصليحات. كما تم إعلام الشركات المزودة لخدمات الإنترنت ISPs وال DSPs بهذا العطل، خصوصا انه حوالي 58 % من حركة التخابر العائدة للانترنت تمر عبر هذا المسار بسرعة 1800 MBps، كما تم العمل مع هذه الشركات لإتخاذ التدابير اللازمة التي تخفف من وطأة هذا العطل على مستخدمي خدمات الإنترنت السريع في لبنان، وذلك لحين إنجاز أعمال الإصلاحات التي إنتهت حوالي الساعة الواحدة من ظهر اليوم، لتعود حركة التخابر عبر هذا الكابل إلى طبيعتها عند حوالي الساعة الثانية ظهرا. علما أن المدير العام لهيئة "أوجيرو" كان قد إنتقل مع المديرين المعنيين بخدمات الإتصالات والإنترنت، ومع الفنيين في الهيئة إلى مركز النقطة الإنتهائية للكابل IMEWE في الشمال عند الساعة الحادية عشرة ليلا من مساء أمس، وقام بمتابعة الاتصالات مع الجهات المعنية، وذلك لحين الإنتهاء من أعمال الإصلاحات ظهر اليوم".
Ontornet - Where is that fast internet already?
MoT’s part was fully completed (new packages have been released, legislation passed, paperwork signed, etc…) on the other hand Ogero has refused (according to MoT consultants) to start working on their part yet.
According to MoT consultants, Ogero was supposed to program servers and provide equipments to increase speed and capacity 10 days ago, yet that has not been done yet.
These servers are in centrals serving 40% of the users. Around 5-6 centrals do not need to be programmed or equipped; they are ready to receive capacity released by Ogero which can be accomplished in a matter of 2-3 days. These centrals are located in Ras Beirut, Achrafieh, Mina El Hosn, and Jdeideh and represent 40% of the users.
Reuters - End in sight to Lebanon's crippling Internet problem
BEIRUT, Oct 5 (Reuters) - For Sara Darwiche, it has been more than problematic running her fast-paced Internet company out of Lebanon, a country with Internet access that is among the worst in the world.

The "invite only" website ChouChic.com gives its members the opportunity to buy surplus stocks of fashionable clothes at discounted prices. It works on the idea that the scarcity of the clothes coupled with the time limit on sales -- 48 hours to a week -- will nurture impulse buying and push up sales. The strategy is called flash selling.

But for ChouChic's main customers, who are Lebanese, there is nothing flashy about buying online here.

"Sometimes the website cuts and people think the sale is over. It really affects the quality," she told Reuters. "We open our sales everyday at noon and for some reason the Internet usually cuts out then for five minutes."

For a company aiming to sell the majority of stock in the first ten minutes of a sale opening, connectivity issues can be devastating.

"We needed a lot of modifications to compensate for the slow Internet," she said, adding that the website was now hosted in the United States. "For luxury fashion, it needs to look like the goods are in front of you so the resolution of the photos needs to be high. But we had to lower the resolution as upload speeds were too slow."
Al Mustaqbal -- "اوجيرو": استلام جهاز لرفع سعاة خدمات الانترنت السريع
اعلنت هيئة "اوجيرو" انها استلمت من شركة "داتا كونسولت" على سبيل الاعارة جهازا تقنيا يشكل جزءا ضئيلا من التجهيزات التقنية اللازمة لتوسيع شبكة خدمات الانترنت السريع "DSL" والتي تحتاج اليها الهيئة منذ اكثر من سنة، ولم تستطع الحصول عليها بسبب انعدام التمويل اللازم رغم المطالبات المتكررة في هذا المجال مما حملها على وقف عمليات بيع خدمات الانترنت السريع "DSL" منذ حوالي تموز 2010.

وقالت هيئة "اوجيرو، في بيان: "فور استلام اوجيرو للجهاز المذكور من شركة "داتا كونسولت" بعد ظهر الاربعاء قامت مديرية تكنولوجيا المعلومات في الهيئة والوحدات التقنية المساندة لها بالعمل ليل نهار من دون توقف لتركيب هذا الجهاز وبرمجته تشغيله مما سمح بجهوزية العملانية والاستثمارية ليل الخميس".

واعلنت انه "نتيجة هذا العمل المتواصل العائد للنجاح في تركيب وتشغيل هذه التجهيزات سوف تقوم الهيئة بدءا من الساعة 10 من الجمعة برفع سعاة خدمات الانترنت للمشتركين في منطقة بيروت المرتبطين بسنترالات رأس بيروت والمزرعة والشياح والاشرفية وبدارو"، لافتة الى انه "ستمتد رقعة ارتفاع زيادة سرعات خدمات الانترنت تدريجيا في مختلف المناطق اللبنانية وفق توفر الجهوزية الفنية لذلك وحسب توفر التجهيزات والمعدات التقنية تباعا من قبل وزارة الاتصالات ان كان على سبيل الاعارة ام على سبيل التمويل المباشر".

واشارت الى ان "جهازا تقنيا اضافيا قد تم استلامه ايضا على سبيل الاعارة من شركة "داتا كونسولت" بعد ظهر الخميس الامر الذي سوف يسمح بتوسعى سرعات خدمات ال DSL في مناطق اخرى فور الانتهاء من تركيبه وتشغيله وبرمجته المتوقع الانتهاء منها يوم السبت او الاحد المقبلين".