Experts warn: Mobile phone services at risk if war with Hezbollah breaks out in the north

By Yoni Weiss

If war breaks out with Hezbollah in the north, prolonged power outages will likely cause disruptions to mobile communications, communications experts say. Telecommunications companies are rushing to upgrade their energy infrastructure in the north by the end of July.

Currently, around 400 telecommunications towers would only be operational for two hours in the event of a power outage caused by rocket fire from Hezbollah. Modernizations are to increase their operational capacity to 12 hours without power, which could prevent the complete collapse of the mobile network.

Efforts to improve mobile services began last May, but so far only a quarter of all sites of the three major mobile operators have been upgraded. The Ministry of Communications has said it will reimburse companies that complete their upgrades by the end of July.

Some of the sites being upgraded in the north are vulnerable to Hezbollah rocket attacks from villages in southern Lebanon. “The deadlines set by the Ministry of Communications are unrealistic,” said a senior official at one of the communications companies. “We only completed the purchase of the generators a month and a half ago, and the teams are working hard to reach the target while war is raging at the same time.”

The rush to upgrade vital cellular infrastructure raises questions about the Ministry of Communications’ readiness for war. The possibility of war with Hezbollah has been known to all ministries since October 7. The ministry was also clear that it did not require the companies operating the cell towers to provide service during power outages lasting more than two hours as part of their licensing obligations.

“We must ensure that in the event of war, all citizens remain connected, not just in the north,” the Ministry of Communications said. “The Ministry of Finance has not responded to our proposals to extend the expansion to other parts of the country.”