Picture taken from @Nicolasehnaoui
Telecom Minister Sehnaoui posted this picture today on his instagram account blaming Ogero Telecom chief Abdel-Moneim Youssef on the slowness and asking him to free the bandwidth.
Even though I agree with Minister Sehnaoui that Youssef’s behavior is unacceptable, I refuse to solely put the blame on one side as there are two fundamental issues that are at the origin of this problem:
1- Ogero’s existence is a problem in itself.
2- The constant bickering and lack of dialogue between opposing political opponents in Lebanon is leading to deadlocks, leaving us Lebanese to suffer.
I cannot believe that no one is able to reach Ogero’s chief or set a meeting to sit and talk with him. If that’s the case, then legal action should be taken against him or he should be forced to resign or the concerned people should head to Ogero and ask to meet Youssef, or organize a protest etc …
This matter has been dragging for months just because no one’s been able to meet or talk to Youssef? Let’s storm Ogero and free the bandwidth then. Will that solve our internet problems? Definitely not.
I’ve already tried to assess the internet situation in Lebanon in a previous post, which I believe still applies now. You can read it [Here].
And here’s my take in the article on Ogero:
Having a state-owned (privately-managed) entity controlling the Telecom sector is a recipe for disaster and the past years are a clear proof of that. Regardless of political affiliations, it is illogical to let one company control everything and then expect other privately owned ISPs to compete with it. I am not saying Ogero is bad but this monopoly is an obstacle to a healthy competition and should be halted either through privatization or other means. Last but not least, I think more efforts should have been put by both sides to settle the differences as we’ve wasted precious years and are now way behind technologically.
Speaking of problems, I urge Minister Sehnaoui to reconsider the new mobile regulations since I haven’t heard one single positive feedback on this matter from the Lebanese Online Community.
i have satelite intrenetz for same price as ogero!i use brein!since cable was cut shananiganz a few years back 😉
“Having a state-owned (privately-managed) entity”
OGERO has nothing to do with the private sector, it is a public organization similar to the infamous EDL.
Our dear minister is too young to have alzheimer’s.
He has forgotten that he did the same delay tactics with putting IMEWE online as OGERO would have taken credit. He delayed it by more than a year.
Isn’t he the minister of telecommunications, and therefore have some sort of authority over… you know… the TELECOMMUNICATION sector?
Ali and Tanios, the ministers don’t have authority over their employees.
They can ask them to do something, but they can’t force them to.
Youssef is a first grade employee (fi2a oula), i.e: it requires 2/3 of the council of ministers to either force him out or force him to do his job.
Ogero may be a public institution but the telecom minister has no control over it.
Youssef can do whatever he wants over there without the minister being able to touch him.
Youssef is from Tripoli thus protected by Mikati, Safadi, Siniora and Hariri.
None of them have the guts to stop him.
As for the delay in the IMEWE, it was Ogero holding it back because Youssef wanted to organize a whole event with Saad Hariri (back then he was the PM) heading it.
When Nahas asked that the ministry be in charge of it, because, after all Ogero is supposed to answer to the ministry and NOT the PM, Youssef blocked all decisions.
You can ask all ISPs who is blocking their demands, they will all point in one direction….guess which is it?