Egypt to issue landline licenses to mobile firms in weeks

Egypt will issue landline telecom licenses to participating mobile operators within weeks, the country’s telecommunications minister said Wednesday, in a move that would end state-owned Telecom Egypt’s fixed-line monopoly.

In September, the government approved issuing new unified licenses that would allow Telecom Egypt to launch mobile services in return for the three mobile operators – Vodafone Egypt, Mobinil and Etisalat – entering the landline market.The reforms have caused some disquiet among mobile firms, with Mobinil – majority owned by France’s Orange – warning in November it might opt out of the landline option unless it was permitted to build its own fixed networks, rather than just using Telecom Egypt’s infrastructure.

But Atef Helmy, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, told reporters all three mobile operators were keen on expanding into fixed lines and that the necessary licenses would be issued soon.