Touch (Lebanon)
touch is one of the two mobile telephony and data operators in Lebanon, alongside its rival Alfa. It is owned by the Lebanese government, and was until May 2020 operated by the Zain Group.
touch was established in June 2004 by Zain, and contracted by the government to manage one of the country’s two existing mobile telecommunications networks. The operation was originally known as 'mtc touch', and was rebranded in June 2012 as 'touch'.
In November 2012, touch launched 3G/HSPA+ service in the country, adding 4G LTE mobile broadband services in some areas from May 2013.
As of 2019, touch operated some two million mobile lines in Lebanon, with 53% share of the market.
The duopoly market situation of touch and Alfa has been criticised for high cost of services, with the average Lebanese household spending 5% of their income on mobile services, compared with eg. 1.4% in Egypt.
In May 2020, the Lebanese government took back control of both mobile operators in the country, in preparation for re-tendering the contracts, with the Ministry of Telecommunications operating the service directly in the interim.
