Plans to introduce fiber-optic Internet in Lebanon are in the works, the leader of Lebanon’s state-run telecommunications firm confirmed Tuesday in a tweet.
Imad Kreidieh, the chairman of Ogero Telecom, tweeted that the Audit Bureau of Lebanon has approved the company’s plan to install fiber-optic cables across the country.
مساء الخير للجميع. بكثير من السعادة ابشركم بموافقة ديوان المحاسبة على البدء بتنفيذ مشروع الالياف الضوئية على كامل الاراضي اللبنانية. بانتظارنا ٤ سنوات من العمل الجدي. القافلة انطلقت و لن يستطيع احد ايقافها. مبروك للبنان و اللبنانيين.
According to the Speedtest Global Index, as of April 2018, Lebanon had the third slowest ‘Fixed Broadband’ speeds in the world.
Fiber-optic Internet could soon come to Lebanon. (Stock photo)
Experts believe the installation of fiber-optic cables in the country will establish a better Internet and TV infrastructure and greatly increase the average Internet speeds.
Fiber-optic is considered one of the fastest forms of receiving Internet.
Google Fiber, for example, promises speeds of 1 GBit/s while traditional cable maxes out at around 200 MBit/s.
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(BEIRUT) — As clothing lines rush to adapt to emerging fashion markets in the Middle East, an enterprising Lebanese duo are empowering women to help influence clothing brands and craft their next outfit.
Nour El Assaad and Loubna Ibrahim are co-founders of TopShou, a social interactive mobile app with an ambitious mission to help women solve the most pressing question — what to wear?
The app allows users to upload photos of their clothes into a virtual closet, and mix-and-match tops, bottoms, and accessories into their daily outfits. They can also share outfits with their friends and scroll through one another’s wardrobe.
“Fashion really has no age because individual style never gets old or young,” El Assaad said. “Our goal is to empower a woman’s style by giving her more resources.”
Experts believe the average woman spends 16 minutes digging through her wardrobe every weekday morning. El Assaad said she hopes TopShou will help women save time and stay à la mode.
“Making a daily fashion statement is easy with TopShou,” she said.
The free app was launched to iOS users on Aug. 20 at the UK Lebanon Tech Hub in Beirut. El Assaad and Ibrahim are part of an emerging wave of young Lebanese entrepreneurs entering the start-up scene in the Middle East.
“We’re seeing changes you’ve never seen before in the Arab world,” El Assaad said. “We trying to breakthrough and join the huge boom in startups, especially here in Lebanon.”
Beirut’s entrepreneurial culture is rapidly growing into a powerhouse for tech startups and business incubators. Lebanon’s Central Bank recently added $400 million into the startup tech economy through its “Circular 331″ initiative — a project to help stimulate the startup economy with seven-year interest-free credit incentives.
But some entrepreneurs worry the political climate and presidential stalemate hampers potential growth. BBC World News estimates Lebanon has one of the slowest Internet connections in the world.
“It’s not affecting us,” El Assaad said. “Actually it’s the opposite; Lebanon has helped us grow and market to a more diverse group.”
In March, TopShou won third place at the ArabNet Ideathon Competition during a creative arts conference in Beirut. El Assaad believes the growing tech industry has encouraged them to be innovative.
“Our biggest challenge was creating the app, and we already created the app,” she said. “Our second challenge was getting people to believe in us, but we already have people believing in us.”
TopShou founder Loubna Ibrahim came up with the app as part of a university thesis project. (Photo via TopShou.com)
El Assaad admits app marketing and user growth could take time, but she views the market potential as a confidence boost.
“We did a huge market research to know what’s the trend,” she said. “We’ve watched everything; we know what people want in the fashion industry.”
The app will be available in other languages and on Android devices after the pilot phase, El Assaad added. A similar platform for men is also in the works.
“After the three-month pilot phase we will launch new projects,” she said. “Soon users can seek fashion advice for a small price.”
The app will also add an eCommerce platform which will redirect users to sites that sell apparel and accessories.
El Assaad and Ibrahim have been working closely with the app development team at Ideatolife on coding and app logistics. El Assaad already manages a busy schedule as a marketing professional and founder of a Lebanese anti-bullying NGO.
“I prefer to put titles aside and say that me and Loubna (Ibrahim) do everything together,” she said. “We’re a dynamic duo.”
(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Beirut’s economy could see major shifts in the next few decades, according to Lebanon’s Central Bank, which has committed millions of dollars for tech growth in the city.
A recent report by CNN labeled Beirut as a “resilient, transformation city” with a culture of freedom and diversity which could serve as a solid base for the Middle East’s growing tech revolution.
According to industry publisher Tech Crunch, Beirut’s tech sector has grown by an average annual rate of 7.9 percent to reach a market size of $381 million in 2014.
The growth is partly as a result of the Beirut Digital District (BDD), launched in September 2012 as a tech incubator for startups and existing nontraditional digital businesses.
“Beirut is rapidly shaping up to be a powerhouse for startups in the Middle East. It has many of the key elements: a highly entrepreneurial culture; incubators and accelerators; venture capital; some gradually favorable government policy; and access to growth funding,” said Mike Butcher, editor of Tech Crunch.
International tech investors are adding projects in Beirut — in hopes of establishing an up-and-coming tech hub for the MENA region.
Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP) have raised “at least $50 million” to assist in this project. They’re working closely with Beirut-based Leap Ventures on a new $71-million venture capital fund focused on the Middle East.
Lebanon’s Central Bank is also adding $400 million into the startup tech economy through its “Circular 331” initiave. The project allows local entrepreneurs to receive a seven-year interest-free credit from the Central Bank (BDL), which can be invested in treasury bonds that return interest rate of 7%.
Even Britain is joining the momentum by launching a new project in cooperation with the Central Bank called the U.K-Lebanon “Tech Hub.”
A new office for Lebanese tech entrepreneurs opened in London recently, which is meant to allow Lebanese entrepreneurs a chance to use the UK as a springboard for global growth.
The London office is the first overseas base of the new UK Lebanon Tech Hub, which aims to support the growth of the knowledge economy in Lebanon.
“For thousands of years Lebanon has had a reputation for trading and entrepreneurship,” said Colm Reilly, CEO of the UK Lebanon Tech Hub. “Despite tough conditions in the region, this spirit is evident in the new generation of entrepreneurs that are developing the country’s tech scene.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s technology industry still faces performance problems, especially for tech investors interested in web-based platforms and Internet services.
According to BBC World News, Lebanon has one of the slowest Internet connections in the world. But Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb said he will launch a five-year national telecommunications strategy on July 1st to boost Internet performance in the country, according to The Daily Star.
Beirut’s tech future still has many unanswered questions because of the region’s political instability and Internet capabilities. According to CNN, the future of tech growth will rely heavily on the country’s political leaders.
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(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — In early 2011, after taking the starting a business course at AMIDEAST, Ralph Aoun launched his web-based communications agency, Com Fu (www.comfu.com), to tap into the potential for Internet-based commerce in that country and the region.
Com Fu – with a tagline of “Ultimate warriors of the web” — helps businesses improve their online presence by providing highly functional, appealing, and socially friendly web consulting, web development, online marketing and digital media services.
During the planning stage and his first year in business, and based on what he learned during the workshop, Ralph focused on the development of Com Fu’s brand identity, company culture, pricing strategy, internal processes and knowledge base.
Com Fu’s team currently consists of 14 people, with plans to bring more staff members on board within the next few months. Its offices have expanded during the first two years in operation and plans to expand to the Pan Arab region and the African continent are in the midst of development.
Ralph credits the AMIDEAST for teaching him how to develop a vision and strategy for long-term business success.
The practical training, exchange of ideas, mentorship and networking opportunities provided during the course helped him plan for and realize his entrepreneurial dream.
He notes how valuable the continuous support and mentorship offered by workshop facilitator Carole Abi Saad (co-managing partner of interactive communications firm Cre8mania) has been and how it helped him persist in an unstable political and business climate.
He was also inspired to give back to society, a value that he urges his team to embrace. “We measure success by our ability to preserve a young energetic team that is aiming not only to create business, but also to instill change in society.”
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(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A recent study conducted by Dubai-based research firm, Madar Reserach and Development Center, says the number of internet users in Lebanon is expected to reach 3.2 million people by 2017. The report, which was published in a Byblos Bank report says that 69.2 percent of the Lebanese population will be using the internet by the end of 2017.
As of 2012, 2 million, or 45.1 percent of Lebanese actively used the internet.
Lebanon, according to the report, will have the 5th highest numbers of internet users in the Arab world in 2017, coming behind Bahrain (87.4 percent), Kuwait (73.7 percent), Morocco (72.4 percent) and the United Arab Emirates (72.2 percent).
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