News
Operator reportedly changes stance after regulator offers new terms.
Orange Egypt on Thursday applied for a 4G licence after the country’s telco regulator offered new terms.
In September, Vodafone and Orange rejected 4G licences offered to them by Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) on the grounds that an insufficient quantity of spectrum was being made available, which would have resulted in a substandard customer experience.
Etisalat reportedly also declined a 4G licence. In fact, the only operator to take up the offer was incumbent Telecom Egypt, which in August agreed to pay 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds (€713.14 million) for a 15-year licence.
As a result, the NTRA had been mulling holding an international spectrum auction instead. China Telecom, Lebara Saudi Arabia, Saudi Telecom, and Kuwait-based Zain have all previously shown interest in entering Egypt.
The situation looks set to change though, because according to a Reuters report on Thursday, the NTRA has said that telcos willing to pay for their 4G licence entirely in U.S. dollars will be at the front of the queue when additional spectrum is made available.
As a result, Orange Egypt has informed the watchdog that it wishes to "renegotiate [the] acquisition of a 4G licence in light of new terms."
The NTRA is expected to discuss Orange’s new offer at its next meeting on 23 October.
