Telecoms & IT

The fundamental demand drivers of Egypt’s telecoms sector are very appealing, by any measure. The country has a large and growing population, increasing purchasing power and high media consumption. However, operators still have had to navigate some tricky challenges. Price competition in the voice market has eased after aggressive discounting in recent years, but data usage and value-added services, which are seen as key revenue earners, still remain modest. Unlike many other sectors of the Egyptian economy, the ICT industry has remained remarkably resilient in the face of the political uncertainty and macro-economic instability wrought by the 2011 revolution. Beyond the basics of national internet infrastructure, Egypt offers a number of benefits for potential ICT investors, not least among which is its proximity to the lucrative European markets.

This chapter contains interviews with Yasser El Kady, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Hazem Metwally, CEO, Etisalat Misr; Yves Gauthier, CEO, Mobinil; Walid Gad, Chairman, Telecom Egypt; and Ahmed Essam, CEO, Vodafone Egypt.