Phones sold as customs paid owners asked to pay again

The Lebanese state has asked owners of telecommunications devices to pay customs duties after a Ministry of Telecommunications audit found around 215,000 IMEI numbers operating on Lebanese networks since 2019 with no registered or paid customs fees. The list includes phones, modems, routers, and other devices, with affected users now receiving settlement notices and facing possible disconnection once the deadline expires.

Many of these devices were bought from stores and distributors in Lebanon and used normally for years, raising questions over import and sales channels that may have brought them into the country without paying customs duties, as well as regulatory failures that allowed them to remain active.

Some buyers may have already paid a price that included customs costs, while the fees were never transferred to the state. They are now being asked to pay again unless they can prove the duties were previously settled.

The case has been referred to judicial and regulatory authorities to determine how the devices were imported, sold, and activated, and who should ultimately be held responsible.