With the Ministry of Communications and Technology announcing its strategic direction to develop Syria's telecommunications and internet infrastructure through fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) projects, specifically the Idlib cable projects, along with strategic connectivity projects like "Barq Net" and "Silk Link," this step was expected to represent a qualitative leap, lifting the telecommunications sector out of its era of technological stagnation.
However, the wide gap between official pronouncements and the stringent financial conditions imposed on private sector contractors, and the reality of implementation on the ground, threatens to repeat the failures of traditional infrastructure projects, albeit with new and innovative approaches.
Strict Conditions and Lack of Oversight
Official bodies impose precise financial conditions and tight timelines on tenders for major fiber optic cable contracts. This places implementing companies under immense pressure to expedite work, potentially compromising technical and engineering standards.
The Ministry insists that the infrastructure extend to building entrances and distribution boxes, while retaining the absolute and exclusive right to connect and activate the service from distribution boxes into subscribers' homes, as was the case in the Idlib city pilot project.
However, the reality on the ground contradicts these requirements. On-site inspections and documented photographs reveal that government entities are haphazardly laying fiber optic cables, lacking even the most basic professional standards. Their methods are almost identical to the chaotic extension practices of private "ampere" networks, a pattern previously and subsequently used in repairing and extending traditional landline telephone networks.
Technical and Aesthetic Issues
The current installation methods disregard technical sustainability and public safety standards during excavation and installation. Furthermore, they blatantly detract from the aesthetic appeal of streets and building facades. These practices not only reflect a lack of engineering standards but also raise legitimate questions about the nature of oversight and administrative accountability:
• Are these projects subject to regular monitoring and informed official approvals?
• Or are projects awarded to technically unqualified workshops in the complete absence of on-site supervision and documentation? • Are readiness and technical accreditation certificates granted based on mere formality, disregarding the realities on the ground?
The telecommunications sector in Syria is characterized by a multiplicity of regulatory bodies and institutions, starting with the Ministry of Communications and Technology (the ministerial body responsible for regulation and planning), then the Syrian Telecommunications Company (the primary operator of landline communications and services), and finally the Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority (the independent body responsible for market regulation and oversight).
The overlap between these entities and the resulting administrative and financial conflicts on the ground explain, in part, the confusion and noticeable discrepancies between the announced standards and the actual implementation on the ground.
Zaman Al Wasl
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