Touch to install 60 new relay stations to improve its network coverage

To address the mobile network coverage gaps in several Lebanese regions, the operator Touch announced Tuesday an expansion plan that includes the installation of around 60 new relay stations across the entire territory.

This was stated by Salem Aitani, the chairman and CEO, during the second edition of the 10XICT exhibition and conference on information and communication technologies, organized under the patronage of Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage.

Atani indicated that Touch's network coverage currently reached 96 percent of Lebanese territory. He specified that "phone service has reached 100 percent, while the customer experience index for mobile data usage rose to 76.4 percent." He added that "the number of relay stations still facing certain issues has decreased to 48 out of a total of about 1,330."

Regarding the network in southern Lebanon, Atani highlighted that 25 relay stations were still out of service due to damage, ongoing relocations or security concerns that made access difficult. Last March 14, the operator had declared that "more than 90 percent of its transmission relay stations had been restored, mainly in South Lebanon, Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut," in these areas heavily affected by Israeli bombings during the last war with Hezbollah, which reached its peak last fall.

Finally, the official mentioned a series of ongoing technical improvements, including balancing the 1800-800 MHz frequencies, reducing internal interferences, upgrading optical fiber capacity and microwave links, enhancing core data transmission capacity, activating 4G in certain stations and introducing voice over data (VoLTE) services.