Enab Baladi – Omar Alaa Eldin
Internet services in towns and villages across Rural Damascus province are weak most of the time, with frequent outages making communication and access to online services extremely difficult.
A monitoring survey conducted by Enab Baladi in three geographically distant areas, Zabadani (northwest of Damascus), Jaramana (southeast of Damascus), and Darayya (southwest of Damascus), found similar struggles across the province, affecting all activities dependent on internet services.
In Zabadani: Constant outages
In Zabadani, internet signals drop almost every hour, with outages lasting between 15 and 30 minutes.
Mehran Abdullah, a computer engineer working remotely from his home, told Enab Baladi that he works nearly 20 hours a day to make up for delays caused by weak connections. Despite using satellite internet instead of landline, he said service in Zabadani is “extremely poor.”
Local internet and telecom shop owners also complained of poor services, whether through mobile networks, ADSL, or landline internet.
Mobile coverage varies by tower location. Zabadani has only three telecom towers run by MTN and Syriatel covering the entire town, according to Tarek Hussein, who works in one of the shops.
Jokingly, he said, “Every time the Ministry of Communications promises internet improvements, the situation gets worse.” Hussein called on the ministry to prioritize Rural Damascus and implement urgent upgrades to internet services.
In Jaramana: No power, no internet
In Jaramana, weak service extends beyond the internet to mobile calls as well, according to Lina Abdul-Khaleq, a journalist living in the city.
She described internet service as “catastrophic,” stressing that Jaramana, already overcrowded, suffers further from poor services.
She added that the internet only improves when electricity is available, noting that the past two weeks have been the worst for both power and internet.
The journalist warned of serious consequences in case of fire, medical emergencies, or traffic accidents, where effective communication systems are vital. She urged the ministry to recognize that internet is no longer a luxury but an essential service, like drinking water, and said authorities must act to resolve the problem “before tragedy strikes.”
In Darayya: Towers but no service
In Darayya, residents chase signals on rooftops, in the streets, and through copper receivers and boosters, with little success.
An Enab Baladi field tour in Darayya observed weak internet services, with difficulty connecting to MTN and Syriatel.
Abdul-Rahman Dabbas, a local resident, described the situation as “extremely bad” despite using outdoor Wi-Fi satellite internet, which is considered superior to local networks. “Despite the high costs, we still don’t get internet,” he said.
The initial subscription for equipment and router costs 700,000 Syrian pounds (≈ $60.9), a burden for many families. Monthly fees for local networks reach 90,000 pounds (≈ $7.8) for 1 Mbps and 360,000 pounds (≈ $31.3) for 5 Mbps.
Despite repeated appeals, Abdul-Rahman said the issue faces “deliberate neglect.” He added, “This disregard for such a vital service as internet, not just in Darayya but all of Rural Damascus, does not befit a ministry that claims it will introduce 5G while dragging us back to the first generation.”
Widespread complaints
The problem is not limited to Zabadani, Darayya, or Jaramana. Residents of other Rural Damascus towns, such as al-Tall, Sahnaya, and Yabroud, also reported similar issues.
When Enab Baladi contacted the Ministry of Communications with questions about internet conditions, the ministry replied that the responsible official was abroad and unavailable.
Outdoor Wi-Fi in Rural Damascus
Outdoor Wi-Fi has emerged as a technical solution to overcome damaged infrastructure in Rural Damascus.
The monthly subscription averages $75 (about 750,000 Syrian pounds at the black-market rate of 11,500 per dollar). Compared with Syriatel data packages, outdoor Wi-Fi is cheaper and of higher quality if used by an entire household.
Packages range from the “Silver” plan at 2 Mbps for 90,000 pounds (≈ $7.8) to the “Gold” plan at 2 Mbps for 120,000 pounds (≈ $10.4), with higher tiers reaching 24 Mbps for 900,000 pounds (≈ $78.2).
Atif al-Deiri, Director-General of the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority, told Enab Baladi in an earlier interview that the technology is legally available through licensed providers, with continuous evaluations to ensure compliance.
By April, 113 companies were licensed nationwide, including 31 in Rural Damascus.
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