ICT

What impact will a unified licensing regime have on Egypt’s telecoms sector?

Fast-changing, competitive and an important magnet for foreign and private-sector investment, the Egyptian telecoms sector is one of the most dynamic parts of the country’s economy, having weathered the economic slowdown over the past few years.

With a large domestic market and a strong export-oriented sector, Egypt’s ICT industry is one of the economy’s leading magnets for investment. Internet use is growing rapidly but still has substantial scope to expand, while public and private sector bodies are increasingly using ICT to enhance their operations.

The turbulence Egypt has experienced since early 2011 have made attracting investments more difficult in several sectors, but thanks to strong domestic demand, ICT has been something of an exception and has weathered the volatility better than most.

On September 3, 2014, the Egyptian government approved the activation of unified fixed-line and mobile telecoms licences after years of discussion. The National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) hopes to have a telecoms sector with four players holding identical unified licences, allowing them to provide both mobile and fixed-line services in a market that will be...

Four main mobile operators and two fixed-line players cater to subscribers in a market that – like much of the emerging world – is seeing slowing subscriber growth and price cuts encourage a shift towards new value-added services. The country’s infrastructure remains among the most competitive on the continent, although operators are grappling with mobile termination...