NTRA to decide on hiking prices of mobile calls soon

CAIRO – 16 September 2017: The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has concluded reviewing the studies pertaining to re-pricing mobile services in Egypt, after the country’s mobile operators requested an increase in the prices of mobile phone’s calls, an official in the NTRA said on Saturday.

The operators’ request came after prices of fuel and electricity have increased in Egypt, in addition to the flotation of the Egyptian pound, all part of the country’s economic reform program. This has led to an increase in operating costs.

The official said that a decision on that matter could be reached “within weeks”, saying that operating costs have increased by 45 percent.

Earlier this month, Egypt’s three mobile service providers raised the prices of the international calls to LE 3 instead of LE 2 per minute, following the approval of the NTRA.

The price hike was attributed to higher ending calls’ costs on networks, for which the service providers pay in foreign currencies.