Telecom Egypt received the country’s first 5G license earlier this year.
Telecom Egypt announced that it will offer Egypt’s first 5G network later this year, initially launching in the cities of Alexandria, Aswan, Cairo, Giza and Luxor. For this groundbreaking rollout, the operator selected Nokia’s 5G radio access network (RAN) equipment, including baseband units and the latest generation of massive MIMO radios. The vendor will also provide “a range of specialized services, including deployment, integration and network optimization.”
In January, Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) granted Telecom Egypt the country’s first 5G license. The 15-year license cost $150 million. At the time, the telecom company’s managing director and CEO, Mohamed Nasr, called 5G “the backbone of our future technological development” and said that combined with other technologies such as fiber optics, it will “revolutionize everyday life and change the way we do business.”
“We intend to use our licence to our advantage to enhance customer experience, meet both consumer and business expectations and maximise shareholder value,” he added.
According to Mohamed Al Foy, vice president and chief technology officer at Telecom Egypt, the partnership with Nokia puts the company “at the forefront of the 5G revolution. Our residential and business customers alike can look forward to enhanced mobile broadband and exciting new applications that take advantage of the speed and low latency of 5G technology,” he said.
Tommy Uitt, president of Nokia’s Mobile Networks division, echoed similar sentiments, commenting: “The introduction of 5G services, enabled by our broad portfolio, will create exciting new opportunities for Egyptian people and businesses to experience enhanced mobile connectivity. Our collaboration lays a strong foundation for driving the country’s digital transformation.”
Egypt made it into the top 10 list of African markets predicted for 5G adoption in the GSMA Intelligence Report for 2023. Egypt is expected to have 47 million 5G connections by 2030, behind only Morocco, Algeria and South Africa. At the time of writing, 5G services have been launched in South Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Togo, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Reunion, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Gambia, Uganda and Ethiopia.
