Lebanon telecom price hike threatens aid hotlines: NGO

Beirut: Telecom price hikes in Lebanon have slashed the number of emergency callers to aid hotlines, limiting access to relief services at a time of unprecedented economic crisis, Mercy Corps said Tuesday.

Telecom prices saw a fivefold increase in July, a move Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm said was necessary to stem the sector’s collapse in light of Lebanon’s currency collapse.

“In July, Mercy Corps alone received more than 70% fewer calls and requests on its hotline than in previous months,” Mercy Corps said.