BlackBerry to Go Bye-Bye?

Lebanon has decided to join the “I want to read your BB Messages” chorus:

Imad Hoballah said the [Telecommunications Regulatory Authority] planned to begin discussions with Research in Motion, BlackBerry’s Canada-based manufacturer, next week.

“This is prompted by the increase of security issues that have been found with the telecommunication networks in Lebanon,” Hoballah told AFP.

The TRA, if you are unfamiliar with it, is the authority that is supposed to regulate the telecommunications sector in Lebanon. At the moment, they don’t with all the power centered at the ministry. This could very well be one of those public announcements just to show that the government is aware of security issues and is looking into it. Imad does mention that the timing of this meeting is only coincidental:

Hoballah added that the TRA’s move was not in reaction to a decision by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to suspend BlackBerry services.

“We have been going through a security assessment for a while,” he said.

Yeah, that’s what they all say. Most likely, Lebanon is trying to ride on the tailcoats of the two largest economies in the region in order to get concessions from Research in Motion (RIM).

And I leave you with RIM’s response to whole banning of BlackBerry services: “If they can’t deal with the Internet, they should shut it off.”

Lebanon to Hold Discussions with RIM concerning BlackBerry taps.

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Lebanon’s Internet to Get Worse Unless You Stop It

A rallying cry from Lebanese Bloggers everywhere to Lebanese everywhere. Get in touch with you MP ASAP!

Here are the details from Darine:

Tomorrow, Parliament is scheduled to vote on a new E-Transactions law that could have terrible implications for the Lebanese economy and for professional and personal privacy. To date, private sector and civil society have not been allowed to comment on the the law.

Among the articles of concern are:

• Article 92, saying anyone providing online services must apply for a license. Result: More paperwork, more bureaucracy, more delays, less revenue.
• Article 82, allowing for the warrantless search and seizure of financial, managerial, and electronic files, including hard drives, computers, etc. Result: The government has pre-approval to seize your company and personal assets and information, without cause.
• Article 70, establishing the Electronic Signature & Services Authority, a new regulatory and licensing body with practically unchecked powers. Result: Another agency, who can make or break your organization at their whim.

This is a complete farce and shows incredible short-sightedness in our un-progressive parliament. Don’t know how to get in touch with your MP? Check the official parliament website for details.

Word circulating on Twitter seems to suggest that the campaign has worked and parliament’s session tomorrow has been postponed. In any case, you still need to get in touch with your MP and ensure that this law remains locked up in some drawer and not in our law books.

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Speeding Up Lebanon’s Snail-Net

Good news for people in Lebanon hoping to watch YouTube without the constant disruptions by mid-viewing downloads:

The Lebanese government is planning on buying an additional 45 gigabytes of international internet bandwidth for $45 million in the coming few months said an IT expert on Sunday.
[...]
[Riad] Bahsoun, who is the general manager of the Telecommunication Information Technology in Lebanon, explained that the new bandwidth will come from India via Egypt, through a submarine cable that will reach Tripoli.

So what does that mean?

Bahsoun said that Today 1 megabit of internet bandwidth is consumed by 40 users. “If the government receives this additional bandwidth then in 2012, we will be 12 users using 20 megabits of bandwidth and the fee per month will go down from $90 to $30,” he said.

Bahsoun explained that when a user subscribes to a 512kb connection, he is only using a fraction of it. “You only use a fraction which is 1 out of 40 because they sell the same fraction to 39 others since they don’t have enough bandwidth,” he said.

The question is, how long until it happens? Though I don’t think that Bahsoun is taking into consideration the growth in consmers by 2012. Will 45GB be enough?

Lebanon is reported to be receiving 45GB of Bandwidth through IMEWE

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Etisalat Wants More

After announcing that they’ve surpassed the 100 million subscriber mark, the UAE’s telecom giant, Etisalat, is eyeing Lebanon (again) as one of its future markets of interest:

“We are focusing on the Middle East where we have a good understanding of the market,” [Mohammed Omran, chairman of Etisalat] added. Etisalat currently operates 18 networks across the world.
Omran, who was speaking at a conference on mergers and acquisitions, said the countries that Etisalat was aiming to expand into included Syria, Iraq, Oman, Lebanon, Libya and Morocco.

The only thing that could bring telecom costs down is competition but I am definitely not expecting anything to happen soon.

Though it might be interesting to point out that a third mobile subscriber “exists” in Lebanon. If you have a Sony Ericsson mobile with the latest firmware (I haven’t checked with other brands), and you go through their list of Preferred Networks, you see that Lebanon has three: other than the two incumbent, there is also OGERO Mobile.

Etisalat eyes Lebanon mobile market.

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iLebanese

Who doesn’t want a picture of a Lebanese girl on their iPhone? Now you can have as many as your fingers can scroll through thanks to this wonderful app:

Lebanese Girls is the hottest app you’ll find. It features the sexiest girls around. Hundreds of pics! Consistently updated. Our competition can’t compete!

Some of the features include FLICK, ROTATE, & ZOOM. Very high tech. You can also contribute to the collection! Either, if you are a Lebanese girl, take pictures of yourself or if you are not, just go around and take pictures of Lebanese girls. Its that incredible!

So what are you waiting for? Get all the photos you could ever need for just US$0.99! The merchandise doesn’t come cheaper than that!

iPhone App: Lebanese Girls

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