Ministry of Communications reveals losses sector of telecomunication companies & postal in eight years

SANA'A March 26. 2023 (Saba) - The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology revealed on Saturday the initial material losses incurred by the telecommunications and postal sector and companies; As a result of the military and economic aggression, which amounted to more than ten billion and 925 million dollars, equivalent to more than six trillion and 550 million Yemeni riyals.
This came in a press conference held by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, today, on the eighth anniversary of the National Day of Resilience, to reveal the losses of the communications and postal sector during eight years of the US-Saudi aggression and blockade.
In the conference, which was attended by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Misfer Al-Numeir, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communications for Financial and Administrative Affairs, Ahmed Al-Mutawakel, revealed that the Ministry of Communications has pursued paths of construction and resilience as a historical national responsibility, which contributed to achieving successes whose features emerged in maintaining telecommunications services and the Internet and continue to provide it to citizens.
He pointed out that the directives of the Ministry of Communications announced the introduction of fourth generation services in all telecommunications institutions and companies, and that the postal sector witnessed a significant improvement in its services and is preparing to launch the first phase of digital transformation projects.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Communications confirmed that the aggression targeted and destroyed one thousand and 106 civilian communications and postal facilities in a systematic manner, and according to precise coordinates, they were targeted with more than two thousand and 760 raids, claiming the lives of more than 79 martyrs working in the telecommunications and information technology sector and companies.
The statement pointed out that 706 facilities were completely destroyed, while severe partial damage was caused to 400 civilian facilities, and the aggression caused the closure and suspension of services of more than 862 telecommunications and postal facilities, which resulted in isolating more than 114 Yemeni villages and cities from the world, without any regard for the fate who waited for millions of civilians in Yemen.
And he indicated that the aggression has so far prevented the re-operation of the destroyed communication stations and sites, and thwarted the restoration of service to the affected areas, either by continuing to ban equipment and communication systems of civilian use and preventing their entry into Yemen, or by re-targeting the sites that have been restored to service.
He stated that the aggression coalition has continued, until now, to prevent the use of submarine internet cables: the Aden-Djibouti submarine cable and the submarine cable (AAE-1) and its landing station in Aden, as well as preventing the installation and operation of the cable (SMW5) and its unloading station in Hodeidah owned by Yemeni Telecom after it became operational. This caused Yemen to be deprived of projects to develop telecommunications services and the Internet.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Communications, the aggression continued to target the technical, technical and administrative system of telecommunications companies and institutions, either with attempts to thwart the development of companies and expand the coverage of their services, or to create suspicious entities aimed at splitting the national telecommunications network, isolating the eastern and southern governorates, and harming the Yemen International Gateway to the Internet, the latest of which is blocking one of Mobile phone companies prevent the introduction of fourth generation technology to the governorates under the occupation authority.
And he indicated that the countries of aggression, in the context of their systematic economic war against the communications sector, continue to detain more than 104 communication stations, nearly seven million mobile phone sim cards, and 20 containers carrying communications and messaging equipment and equipment that have been stopped and detained at airports and ports under their control and their mercenaries.
The statement confirmed that the aggression continues to close air, land and sea ports to postal services. Not a single message has reached Yemen since 2016.
The statement estimated the cost of the initial material losses, incurred by the telecommunications and postal sector and companies as a result of the military and economic aggression, at more than ten billion and 925 million dollars, equivalent to more than six trillion and 550 million Yemeni riyals.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology held the countries of the US-Saudi aggression coalition fully responsible, legal and moral, for all the crimes that were committed against the Yemeni people in general, and against the infrastructure of the communications and postal network in particular, and all the catastrophic repercussions of those crimes.
The Ministry renewed the call on the international community and international, human rights and humanitarian organizations to carry out their duties and assume their responsibility regarding the practices, violations and crimes of aggression.. calling on the free people of the world, free global organizations and international mediators to quickly intervene and work hard to stop all forms of aggression and destruction.
It urged the United Nations and relevant international organizations to fulfill their legal responsibility to put pressure on the countries of aggression to lift the blockade and open land, sea and air ports for the entry of civilian-use communications equipment and supplies.
In turn, the Executive Director General of the Public Telecommunications Corporation, Engineer Sadiq Musleh, explained that the Telecommunications Corporation has been systematically targeted for eight years, as the raids on the organization's infrastructure amounted to 1251 raids; 45 percent of the total strikes on the telecommunications sector.
And he indicated that the catastrophic effects on civil society, as a result of targeting the Corporation, resulted in the inability of 1,642 establishments to benefit from telecommunications and Internet services, and the deprivation of more than one million and 271 thousand of communication and Internet services .. pointing out that the losses of the Communications Corporation as a result of eight years of aggression amounted to more than two billion dollar.
Musleh stressed that the most prominent features of steadfastness, during eight years, were the implementation of enterprise restructuring projects, the fourth generation Yemen 4G, wireless internet (YEMEN WIFI), fiber optic internet for homes (FTTH), integrated billing (CBS), and a project to deploy and modernize the national fiber network.
While the Director General of the General Postal Authority, Ammar Wahan, indicated that the authority was subjected, during eight years, to 79 raids and the direct destruction of 27 postal facilities, and 20 facilities were severely and partially damaged, with losses amounting to more than 609 million and 757 thousand dollars.
He stated that the post office followed the path of construction based on the martyr President Al-Sammad's project, "A hand that protects... a hand that builds", through the authority's continued efforts to rehabilitate and maintain 86 post offices, restore postal services to 73 villages and districts after the aggression caused their deprivation, and restore 17 postal and financial services. Parked and reactivated, and 34 ATMs are activated.
In turn, the CEO of the Yemeni International Telecom Company "TeleYemen", Dr. Ali Naji Nassari, touched on the losses suffered by the company, most notably the destruction of the International Gateway building for the Internet by direct targeting in a raid in Al-Hodeidah Governorate, and targeting the company's building in Sana'a and destroying them completely.
He pointed out that the company was targeted by the aggression by cloning a fake company to disrupt the work of "TeleYemen", but the aggression failed to do so.. indicating that the company is constantly working to cover Yemen's needs of communications and the Internet; Being the main provider of telecommunications and the Internet.
In addition, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yemen Mobile, Issam Al-Hamli, reviewed what the aggression destroyed in terms of systematic targeting of the company's tower sites, which amounted to 141 sites in 19 governorates.
He stated that the company worked on rehabilitating 51 sites. 40 of them were rehabilitated for the second time, and the company's total losses - during the eight years - amounted to one billion and 681 million and 421 thousand dollars. Pointing to the features of Yemen Mobile's steadfastness in continuing to provide the company's services, moving to the fourth generation (4G), and expanding central equipment for transmitters and control units.
While the technical and technical general manager of Sabafon, Eng. Nizar Al-Moayyed, touched on the losses that the company suffered during eight years, most notably the separation of the company in the south of the country from the central administration in Sana'a.
E.M

resource : Saba