Aldabaiba says Libya’s telecom sector needs to end its monopoly position and open up to competition

Speaking today at the opening ceremony of the Taqnya 2021 ICT exhibition in Tripoli International Fairgrounds, Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba said Libya’s ICT sector needs to end its monopolistic position.

Criticising the sector for poor services and high prices, the PM said in the time his government has remaining in office it will seek to increase competition by privatizing the sector. He said this was necessary and that foreign competitors would be let into the sector.

He said the state-dominated monopoly would struggle if some leading private companies are allowed to enter and compete. He said Libyans need to own the sector and that it should be offered up on the stock market.

Prices are too high, and services are poor

Speaking directly to Mohamed Ben Ayad, the new chairman of the state monopoly telecoms holding company, the LPTIC, Aldabaiba said that telecoms prices in Libya were too high when compared to neighbouring countries. This was especially the case since people were now glued to their mobile sets and constantly using them.

He also complained that the services being provided by the sector were too basic and not on the same level commonly found in the rest of the world.

Postal system should work

Turning to the state Libya Post Company, Aldabaiba said the company should be delivering post as it used to decades ago. He said with new technology it was now easier and cheaper to establish a post code/zoning system to enable postal delivery.