Egypt plans to issue 5G network licenses in December

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYOctober 20, 2023 at 1:27 PM UTC

The Egyptian government is gearing up to grant licenses for the operation of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication networks, with a potential launch in December, according to sources informed about the matter cited by multiple reports. These licenses are anticipated to come at a significant cost, with at least $500 million as a preliminary figure.

In case the companies aiming to obtain these licenses require additional time to secure the necessary financing, there is a possibility of extending the issuance date from December to early 2024, as per one source.

Furthermore, it has been suggested that the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) may consider approving requests from telecom operators to raise the prices of their services. This move could serve as an incentive to encourage these operators to pursue the acquisition of 5G licenses, thereby promoting the development of 5G infrastructure in Egypt.

Key Takeaways

There’s an exclusive group of African countries where commercial 5G services have been launched; including Botswana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia while testing/pilot is ongoing in more than 10 others. The potential benefits of this next-generation network for the continent, such as the optimization of service delivery and end-user experience, are well-published. But adoption faces hurdles due to the high cost of 5G-enabled handsets as well as mobile data in the country. That hasn’t stopped Africa’s leading telcos from investing in the technology, however, with Egypt's planned license issuance the latest sample.

Egypt

Telecommunications

Mobile Network