A new report has revealed that the Egyptian government is pushing through a number of telecommunications industry reforms and is currently looking at the state-owned Telecom Egypt operator to launch mobile phone services in the country.
According to the Reuters news agency report, even though Telecom Egypt owns 45 percent of Vodafone Egypt – one of the three mobile operators in Egypt – it could allow the company to launch mobile services as the fourth license as early as next year.
It comes as Cairo remains apprehensive about a fourth mobile license outside the country and is looking to maintain a local operator in the fast-growing mobile market that has been boosted by social media usage since a January 2011 uprising led to the ousting of the former regime in the country.
“Telecom Egypt could either launch a MVNO service or have its own network. Telecom Egypt would probably have to pay for the license change, but not too much,” Reuters reported.
Telecom Egypt has been pushing for the fourth license, which it had previously expected to be granted this year as per previous government statements, but a stumbling economy has left much of the country’s business future in limbo as Egypt pushes toward recovery.
Joseph Mayton
