Egypt state firm looks to cash in on thriving mobile sector

As Egypt’s mobile operators thrive, state-owned Telecom Egypt is entering the market in an effort to boost state revenues.

In a country with more mobile phone subscriptions than residents, Egypt’s only fixed-line operator is hoping to get in on the action with its new mobile service, WE.

But some established players say they fear the state-owned firm, which already owns 45 percent of top existing operator Vodafone Egypt, will enjoy unfair advantages.

Egypt, with around 96 million residents, had nearly 100 million mobile subscriptions in 2016, according to a July report by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority.

That compares with fewer than 10 million subscriptions for landlines and DSL phone line-based internet services.

As the mobile sector booms, Telecom Egypt’s entry into the market aims to introduce competition, the NTRA said in a report.