BEIRUT, Lebanon - Marwan Hamadeh, Minister of Communications of Lebanon, has said that his government plans to privatize its two mobile telecom companies Alfa and MTC.

The Lebanese government expects to raise at least seven billion dollars from the privatisation of the two-telecom companies. Each license is valued at between 2.5 billion dollars and 3.5 billion dollars.

Hamadeh added that the telecom regulatory authority expects to receive bids for Alfa and MTC next September or October. The two companies have about 1.1 subscribers out of a total population of 4 million people.

It is expected that the privatisation of the mobile sector will lead to a reduction in costs for customers and an increase in subscribers' numbers.

The decision to privatize the two mobile telephone companies is seen as an effort to reduce the country's public debt, which is estimated at 40 billion dollars.

Last month, the Lebanese government pledged at a donor's conference in Paris that it would sell its 100 percent share in the two mobile companies.