Telecom industry association GSMA has recommended new suggestions to create Digital Egypt that stimulates investment.
GSMA in a report said the government and regulator should work with the mobile industry to develop a clear vision for Digital Egypt.
GSMA said increase in mobile broadband penetration will assist Egypt to unlock an additional EGP 310 billion or $43 billion in GDP and help create 1.2 million new jobs by 2030.
The following is the recommendations for Digital Egypt.
Adoption of a stable regulatory environment to support private sector investment in fibre and mobile networks
Development of a new national broadband plan that aligns with international best practice to overcome past obstacles and set revised targets and policies for the next 10 years.
Release of additional spectrum in the 700MHz, 800MHz, 1.8GHz and 2.1GHz bands through a fair and transparent process to address mobile coverage and capacity constraints
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is invited to publish a roadmap with clear timeframes for the release of this spectrum to incentivise investment.
Access to transmission infrastructure necessary for mobile broadband deployment at acceptable price for all market participants
Improved usage of online government services to help encourage penetration of mobile broadband services
“With the shift from traditional voice and SMS to mobile broadband, Egypt’s mobile operators are becoming increasingly constrained by limited domestic fiber optic network capacity. Equally, high speed international connections are essential if Egypt is to compete effectively at a global level,” said Tom Phillips, chief regulatory officer, GSMA.
