Mobile internet and phone prices in Syria doubled just days after the president of the Interim Government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited Washington. Syriatel and MTN removed short-term data packages and sharply increased prices. Al-Sharaa met U.S. President Donald Trump, and, among other things, promised reforms during his visit.
The change, implemented without prior warning, sparked one of the broadest public protests in the post-war period. While the Ministry of Communications imposed requirements on companies to improve services and provide proper notice, it did not reverse the price increases.
The decision came directly after al-Sharaa’s meeting with IMF President Kristalina Georgieva, where he pledged comprehensive reforms, raising new doubts about the reform process in the country. Millions of low-income citizens, facing higher internet costs, intensified boycott calls on social media, while long-standing mistrust toward telecommunication companies resurfaced.
Despite al-Sharaa’s promise to rebuild institutions, the anger towards the telecommunication sector illustrates how fragile public trust is, and how quickly it can collapse. A young software engineer in Damascus expressed it clearly: “People waited 14 years for accountability. Instead, they got a higher internet bill.”