Alfa has deployed 93 new network sites since H.E. Charles Hage took office as Minister of Telecommunications, and the pace is picking up. The operator built 47 sites in 2025 and has added 46 more since the start of 2026, which it says reflects a 28 percent gain in productivity and efficiency compared with last year. Together, the new sites now carry 47 terabytes of data traffic, or about 7 percent of the daily internet consumption across Alfa's network.
Filling gaps and rebuilding what was lost
Just over half of the 93 sites, 55 percent, went to areas that needed stronger coverage. The remaining 45 percent replaced existing sites or moved them to new locations. Some of those replacements cover sites damaged or destroyed during the two recent wars. Others restore sites that had been dismantled after disputes with property owners.
Around half of the new sites run on solar power, part of Alfa's push to improve energy efficiency and rely on more sustainable sources. The rollout reaches Beirut and 23 districts: Marjeyoun, Zahle, Metn, Koura, Bsharri, Chouf, Jbeil, Bint Jbeil, Tripoli, Keserwan, Tyre, Akkar, Baabda, Zgharta, Rachaya, Nabatieh, Batroun, Hermel, Baalbek, Sidon, Minieh-Dinnieh, Aley and Jezzine.
Three back-end systems upgraded alongside the towers
Alfa Chairman and CEO Rafic El Haddad framed the new sites as one part of a four-year roadmap. "The 4-year network development roadmap has so far focused not only on strengthening coverage through the deployment of a significant number of new sites but also on modernizing three key strategic systems that manage subscribers' services," he said. "These upgrades are improving service performance, giving our subscribers more features and greater flexibility, and enhancing their overall experience."
He put a deadline and a number on the wider project. "Our network modernization and expansion project will further strengthen network performance and service quality," he said. "The project is expected to be completed before the end of the second quarter of 2027 and will benefit more than 600,000 subscribers across different regions of Lebanon."
Twenty more sites before December
El Haddad said 20 additional sites will go live by the end of this year, mainly in Akkar, Baalbek, Metn, Tripoli, Minieh, Beirut, Chouf, Jbeil, Jezzine, Koura and Sidon. "These sites will enable the network to carry an additional 14 terabytes of data traffic per day," he said.
He credited the results to higher infrastructure spending and close work with the Ministry of Telecommunications. "Through increased investment in our infrastructure and close cooperation between Alfa and the Ministry of Telecommunications, we have achieved concrete and measurable results," he said. "We will continue investing in our network to ensure that it is well positioned to support the future expansion of 5G and artificial intelligence technologies."
Alfa relies mainly on equipment from Ericsson and Nokia. The capacity of each new site is sized to the needs of its area and the data traffic expected there, which the operator says makes the best use of its equipment, licenses and available resources.
Cells on wheels in the South
Alongside the fixed sites, Alfa has deployed 10 Cells On Wheels, mobile units that can be moved to where coverage is missing. Seven of them are in the South, where they have helped restore service in affected areas. Alfa says the mobile sites have lifted its coverage in the South from 70 percent during the war to about 90 percent today.
Faster 4G on more than 900 sectors
The plan also targets the speed of existing sites, not just their number. Alfa is raising 4G capacity across more than 900 sectors through higher levels of carrier aggregation, reaching four and five combined carriers, known as 4CC and 5CC. It is also increasing capacity on more than 30 microwave links, which carry traffic between sites. Both changes are meant to deliver higher capacity and faster speeds on the network subscribers already use.
See Alfa's coverage and plans at alfa.com.lb.
Alfa
