touch, the leading mobile operator in Lebanon, managed by Zain Group, has hosted its annual media iftar, under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Minister of Telecommunications, Jamal Al Jarrah. The iftar,which took place at Boulevard Beirut - Sea Salt restaurant on Tuesday June 20, gathered members of the Owner Supervisory Board and Ministry of Telecommunications, touch's management, and media figures including the head of the Press Syndicate,Aouni Al-Kaaki; Head of Editors' Syndicate, Elias Aoun; President of the Press Club, Bassam Abu Zeid; together with a large assembly of media personnel.

Over the past 14 years, this annual iftar has become recognized as a yearly tradition during the holy month of Ramadan, through which touch expresses its gratitude to the media for their relentless support.

In his speech at the occasion, HE Minister Jamal Al Jarrah emphasized the crucial role the media plays as a partner in national development and in conveying the truth. He specifically discussed the media's impact on the telecommunications sector given its undeniable contribution.

"What I refer to here is responsible, objective and impartial media coverage that conveys the truth as it is," the Minister said.

AlJarrah went on to congratulate touch for its great efforts towards developing its telecommunications services. The Minister highlighted the importance of the Ministry's plan to reduce internet and data prices to make them more

accessible to all, pointing out Ogero's efforts to repair and maintain networks that have been neglected over the past ten years.

The Minister stated that work is already underway to update all networks and infrastructure across Lebanon to improve the quality of communications on land lines and the DSL network. Al Jarrah stressed that the next phase of development will focus on the country's fiber optic network, in order to increase internet speed and provide a secure service that meets international standards.

Emre Gurkan, touch Chief Executive Officer, thanked the media for being touch's partner in its development and success since 2004.Gurkan presented the company's three-years strategy saying, "It is humbling that our family is continuing to grow at a consistent pace over the years and touch has been able to remain the market leader with a 54% market share."

Gurkan continued, "Our nationwide 4.5G network rollout is almost complete, covering 96.7% of the total population of Lebanon. We have a solid network according to international standards, and we promise to deliver a great network by year-end with faster internet speeds and no capacity issues."

Commenting on touch's strategy, Gurkan said, "In order to remain a positive contributor to the economy and industry in Lebanon, touch is transforming into a digital communications company, and this will be achieved within 3 years." This strategy is in line with Zain Group 's digital transformation strategy which seeks to place customers at the center of a rich digital lifestyle.

This year's iftar also coincided with Father's Day, and touch took this opportunity to surprise fathers attending the iftar with an extremely emotional film featuring their children based abroad wishing them a happy Fathers' Day.

Beyond the iftar, and to show appreciation to the fathers among its customers, touch will be granting two nights' hotel accommodation to 35 of its longest postpaid customers, along with another family member of their choice, at Riviera Hotel Beirut.  Touch selected five customers from each of the five governorates in Lebanon; a total of 25. The other ten participants were selected randomly from across the country.