Private phone exchanges shut down in Beirut

Less than a month after they failed to shut down on the orders of the Telecommunications Ministry, private telephone exchanges in Beirut were closed and officially sealed, and judicial action was ordered against their owners.

The businesses, commonly known as Central, were the final services of their sort operating in the capital after scores closed down last month, judicial officials in Beirut said.

Public prosecutor Abdullah Bitar issued arrest warrants against the owners of the exchanges, in Ashrafieh, Al Tariq Al Jadideh, Corniche Al Mazraa and Ain Al Roummaneh.

The Telecommunications Ministry has refused to license private exchanges to supply citizens with phone services.