Telecom Egypt still not ready to launch 4G services: source

CAIRO – 3 June 2017: Telecom Egypt’s unreadiness to launch the 4G mobile services is one of the reasons why the service has not yet been provided, a source at the telecom sector told Egypt Today.

Telecom Egypt, the state’s fixed-line monopoly, did not meet the due date set for February by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority to ink the domestic roaming deals with Egypt’s three mobile operators: Orange, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr, the source added.

No final deal on domestic roaming was signed so far, while only two memorandums of understanding were inked between Telecom Egypt and Orange as well as Etisalat Misr. Vodafone Egypt was then asked to present a domestic roaming offer.

According to Telecom Egypt’s CEO Ahmed El-Beheiry, the company will provide the 4G service in September although the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has previously announced that the 4G spectrum is available.

Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr signed license deals in October allowing them to roll out 4G mobile services in Egypt, paying $335 million and $535.5 million respectively.

Orange was the first mobile phone operator to sign the deal, a week before the other two companies, paying $484 million for the license.

(Additional reporting by Hebe el-Sayed)