Egypt's telecom regulator approves revised terms for 4G licences

Egypt’s telecom regulator has given the go-ahead on revised terms for 4G mobile broadband network licences which will be sent out to operators on the 21st August.

In June the government offered licenses to Telecom Egypt and three mobile services providers, Orange Egypt , Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat. However, only Telecom Egypt accepted the terms. The regulator, which was keen to be seen to be inclusive, decided to revise the terms.

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority has issued a statement confirming it has approved the final terms and that the companies now have until 22nd Sept to accept.

A senior official at the Telecommunications Ministry told Reuters on Wednesday that the new terms added new frequencies but there is no change in the pricing or the condition that 50% of the payment for the licenses must be made in US dollars.

The government, is dealing with a shortage of hard currency since economic and political turmoil in Egypt has deterred foreign investment. The Government has said it hopes to raise 22.3 bn Egyptian pounds ($2.5 billion) in total in license fees.