Egyptian 4G Licenses Are up for International Auction If Locals Don’t Bite

Egypt will offer 4G licenses in an international auction if they are not taken by local carriers already operating in the market, Reuters reported Thursday. The sale of 4G licenses is much-awaited and much-discussed, but tentative dates for when 4G will be available to consumers have not been announced.

Egyptian’s telecoms regulator has already approached the three companies already offering mobile services in Egypt and hopes to collect 22.3 billion Egyptian pounds from license fees for four 4G licenses; Telecom Egypt is expected to enter the mobile market and acquire one of the four licenses. The deal would allow the other three companies – Vodafone, Orange, and Etisalat – to offer fixed lines, currently a monopoly held by Telecom Egypt.

All four companies have until the first week in August to submit 4G license applications.

Orange announced earlier this week that it was offered a 4G license for 3.54 billion Egyptian pounds, in addition to another 100 million for a fixed-line license and 1.8 billion to offer international calls.

Vodafone and TE also acknowledged they had received offers from the telecoms regulator, but declined to give numbers.

“Telecom Egypt will be obliged to pay 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds, half of which it has to pay in dollars, to get the 4G license in addition to second and third generation services which it will offer through agreements with other companies,” an unnamed source told Reuters.

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