Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) approved new frequencies in the 2600 MHz band to Vodafone Egypt, Etisalat Misr and Telecom Egypt. The information was reported by the Minister of Information and Technology, Amr Talaat, on November 22.

In detail, Vodafone Egypt will operate at a frequency of 40MHz while the two others at 20 MHz. The companies spent $1.17 billion overall to acquire these new resources, according to official figures.

"The introduction of the new frequencies will help to significantly improve the quality of voice and data services in the coming period. This is done following the highest international standards of service quality and in a way that keeps pace with the increased demand for telecommunications services in the Egyptian market," said the minister.

As a reminder, the three telecom operators already acquired frequencies in the same band in October last year. Telecom Egypt secured 2 x 10 MHz of spectrum for $305 million. Vodafone Egypt secured a 2 x 20 MHz spectrum for $540 million. Orange Egypt and Etisalat Misr each secured 2 x 10 MHz of spectrum. The total sale of these frequencies had generated a revenue of nearly $1.1 billion.

Amr Talaat said NTRA has recently completed all the regulatory procedures related to the availability of new frequencies for the telecom market. According to him, the strategy will support "the digital transformation and the construction of digital Egypt".

Muriel Edjo