News
Incumbent becomes fully-fledged mobile operator with 15-year concession for 1800-MHz, 700-MHz spectrum.
Telecom Egypt (TE) this week became a fully-fledged mobile operator after agreeing to pay 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds (€713.14 million) for a 4G licence.
The licence grants the fixed-line incumbent permission to use 2×5 MHz of 1800-MHz spectrum and 2×10 MHz of 700-MHz spectrum for the next 15 years. EGP5.2 billion of the licence fee is due up front with the remainder payable in instalments over the next four years. The licence is renewable for a further five years at a cost of EGP2 billion.
Until recently, TE offered mobile services as a virtual player on Vodafone Egypt’s network.
"Becoming a total telecom operator has been a central commitment of TE’s customer-focused strategy. With this award, TE’s objective of moving from being a fixed-line operator to a mobile operator becomes a reality," said TE chief executive Tamer Gadalla, in a statement on Wednesday.
The announcement comes two weeks after reports emerged that Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) planned to send out revised 4G licence terms to the country’s operators.
By accepting the amended offer, TE becomes the first of the country’s operators to secure a 4G licence. Egypt’s other players, Vodafone, Orange and Etisalat, have until 22 September to respond to the NTRA’s offer, according to local press reports.
"We are grateful to the NTRA for expediting and finalising these license negotiations. This is a critical step forward to making Egypt a more connected society, allowing Egyptians to harness the superior data speeds high-quality 4G networks can deliver at home and at work," Gadalla said.
