Egypt – government looks to develop mobile sector

With Egypt’s economy looking like it is on the rebound, the government is now approaching the telecommunications industry with interest and the hope that it can develop the industry in order to increase revenues and users.

According to the Ministry of Communications, Egypt is currently looking at a number of potential boosts to the sector, including the official launch of a fourth mobile operator – although it did not say when that would happen.

ICT Minister Hany Mahmoud said that the earliest a new license would be offered in the country is the first quarter of next year.
He added that the ministry was also looking at an alternative to the fourth license and the “government could work to develop the sector with the existing operators, namely Mobinil, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr.”

The telecom sector in Egypt has seen massive growth in the past two years, especially after the 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. The Internet and social media were widely seen as vital to that uprising and telecom operators have since reported massive rises in their number of subscribers.

The government hopes that new efforts to support the industry can help alleviate much of the economic woes that have troubled the country since that revolution.

Joseph Mayton