Apr 14, 2015

ALEPPO, Syria — In front of his shop window, damaged by airstrikes, Ahmed sat on a wooden chair, so taken with having access to the Internet on his phone that he did not notice Al-Monitor’s correspondent walk into the store. He cast a shy smile and said, “We have become so addicted to the Internet that we can no longer let go of it.”

In the neighborhood of al-Mashhad, as in most of Aleppo’s rebel-controlled areas, wireless networks are widespread. In different parts of the city, a phone will detect dozens of available networks.

Ahmed follows the field developments and news in Syria through social networks. He also receives WhatsApp messages from his friends and relatives. He said, “We now need the Internet more than ever because otherwise, we cannot know what is going on around us. The Internet has become necessary to communicate with family and friends who are being displaced to distant lands. The Internet is the best and fastest way to stay in touch with them.”

For most of the population, the wireless networks’ monthly fees are affordable ($3 per gigabyte), and this has contributed to their spread. Mohamed Badawi, a wireless service provider in the neighborhood of al-Maysar, told Al-Monitor, “We receive daily requests to cover new places with wireless network towers. People here subscribe to wireless networks, the subscription fees being affordable for most of the people and cheaper than other means, which see frequent interruptions. For example, 1 gigabyte on 3G SYRIATEL lines costs 1,500 [Syrian] pounds, which is the equivalent of $5.50 [on the black market].”

These networks seem to be the most stable means of Internet access in rebel-controlled areas in Aleppo, where Turkish services reach northern Syria.