Egypt’s telecommunications regulator, the NTRA, has agreed to issue a unified telecoms licence, which allows operators to provide both fixed and mobile phone services.
The regulator has submitted details of the licence to the economic committee of the…
Egypt’s telecommunications regulator, the NTRA, has agreed to issue a unified telecoms licence, which allows operators to provide both fixed and mobile phone services.
The regulator has submitted details of the licence to the economic committee of the Egyptian Cabinet, which now needs to approve the plan.
The country’s largest fixed-line operator Telecom Egypt (TE) said in a statement that it has not yet been officially notified by the NTRA with regard to the application process. If it does secure the licence, TE is expected to start providing mobile phone services as an MVNO.
There has been speculation that once TE launches its own mobile offering, it may decide to offload its 45% shareholding in Vodafone Egypt, the country’s largest wireless player. However, in November, a TE spokesperson said that gaining an MVNO licence would not require it to sell its stake and that the company was not looking to exit Vodafone Egypt.
On 25 December, the company reportedly denied that it has received an offer from Saudi Telecom for its stake in Vodafone Egypt. Its shares jumped 5% on the news.
Telecom Egypt, which is 80% state-owned, currently has a monopoly on landlines in the country. Egypt’s existing mobile operators are Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat.
