4G service arrives in Egypt

CAIRO – 19 June 2017: The three main mobile network operators in Egypt will be receiving their 4G frequencies on Monday and service across the country is expected to be activated within two months.

A scheduled date for the service to be actively available is not yet confirmed, however, as the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority still needs to finish mapping out the frequencies before they can be used, Al-Ahram reported Monday.

Orange, one of the three mobile network operators, sent an invitation message to its Dokki customers on Sunday night to try their 4G services.

Also, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser Al-Qadi explained the expected increase in the prices of mobile lines. The increase comes as a result of the Parliamentary Plan and Budget Committee’s approval to impose an additional LE 50 ($2.7) on developing resources over the current LE 20, he said, adding that this “will not have a significant impact on the size of the mobile market.”

According to Al-Borsa, Telecom Egypt (TE) is expected to launch its 4G service by September 2017. TE has launched a new tender for an advertising campaign that is expected to be provided in the third quarter of this year, the newspaper said.

State-owned TE has exclusively offered fixed-line telephone and internet services up to this point; its September deal to acquire one of four Egyptian 4G licenses marked its first foray into mobile services.