The Attorney General of the Court of Cassation, Ahmad Rami Hajj, has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to organise the transfer of subscribers to authorized networks. The rogatory commission, released Tuesday, November 10, 2026, targets areas of Beirut, its immediate periphery and Tripoli. It sets a maximum period of three months, while imposing continuity of service.
This illegal Internet intervention in Lebanon provides a framework for the execution of an operation that TRA had already presented in September. The Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office is now calling for follow-up on transfers, warnings to offenders and deadlines. Security support is also included in the mission.
Illegal Internet in Lebanon: a mission entrusted to TRA
According to an agency dispatch reproducing the text, the magistrate sent his letter rogatory to the Ministry of Telecommunications and TRA. It invokes the proliferation of unauthorized networks and the revenue their activities would deprive the Treasury. The document does not quantify this loss of profits and does not identify any companies or individuals.
The TRA receives technical responsibility for the operation. The Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office asks the State party to take the necessary measures to transfer users of unauthorized networks to legal networks. It underlines its role as the authority responsible for the sector and the presence of technical specialists within it.
The text refers to Regulatory Decision 4/2026, adopted on 5 February 2026. This reference links the judicial approach to an existing system. It does not describe a new general authorisation granted to distributors who operate without a licence.
Subscribers affected by ten central offices
The perimeter covers the areas served by ten Ogero central offices. The official list published by the TRA for this operation allows the names to be specified.
In Beirut, it includes Ashrafieh, Hamra, Badaro, Adlieh, Minet el-Hosn and Ras Beirut. He added Baabda and Hazmieh, then Tripoli–El Mina and Tripoli–Bahsas in the north.
These names refer to the areas serving central offices, not an indistinct obligation for all their inhabitants. The procedure concerns subscribers connected to unauthorized networks in these areas. A user already customer of an approved supplier cannot be considered to be concerned solely on the basis of his address.
The announcement of November 10 is not accompanied by any calendar of visits by neighbourhoods.
Three months, with a requirement of continuity
The maximum period provided for shall run from the date of the letters rogatory. The dispatch does not separate the date of the act. It therefore does not make it possible to set a timetable with certainty from its publication alone.
The Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office requires that transfers maintain the continuity of the connection, in accordance with technical, administrative and legal procedures. The text also recalls the objective of avoiding additional charges for subscribers.
These requirements govern future implementation. They do not constitute a balance sheet of already completed connections. No number of customers transferred, no new rate schedule and no general cut-off date are announced.
The protection of continuity concerns how to organise network change. It does not exempt affected subscribers from the steps requested by the TRA. The Commission invites them to regularize their situation quickly to reduce the risk of interruption.
Safe support and reporting to the Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office
The rogatory commission provides for coordination with the competent security administrations and services. The Army Command, Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security are mentioned to accompany the TRA.
Their assistance shall enable the necessary measures to be taken and the necessary minutes to be drawn up. This assistance mission does not prove that dismantling operations or seizures have already taken place in the sectors concerned.
The TRA must transmit periodic reports to the Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office at the Court of Cassation. They will need to detail the measures taken, the number of subscribers transferred and the warnings to offenders who refuse to comply. The deadlines granted to the latter should also be included.
The document calls for the cessation of infringements in order to allow the transfer to authorized networks. However, no individual conviction is reported. It also does not specify the frequency of reports due.
Proceedings initiated before November
On 23 September 2026, TRA announced the organisation of subscriptions in the same ten service areas. It already had coordination with accredited suppliers, judicial authorities and security services.
The Authority asks the users concerned to contact an authorised supplier active in their sector. It must explain the necessary steps and documents. A subscriber who has not been contacted may also ask their current distributor which licensed supplier serves their area.
The February scheme included a separate regulatory deadline, calculated from its publication in the Official Journal. It should not be confused with the three months mentioned in the letter rogatory. The published information does not allow the latter period to be presented as a formal amendment to the regulatory decision.
This is because of the judicial mandate and the monitoring obligations now reported. The next verifiable step will be implementation in the areas concerned, with the transfer figures to be communicated to the Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office by TRA.
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