Vodafone Egypt Acquires The 3G License

2007-02-05 09:03:44 | Viewed 1983 times

Under the auspices of H.E. Prime Minister Dr Ahmed Nazif, and in the presence of H.E. Dr Youssef Boutrus Ghali Minister of Finance; H.E. Dr Tarek Kamel Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr Amr Badawy Executive President of the NTRA (National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority), and Mr Ian Gray CEO Vodafone Egypt signed the 3G license. Vodafone Egypt acquired the license against EGP 3.34 billion. The signing ceremony was attended by the leaders of the NTRA, Vodafone Egypt and key players in the market.

H.E. Prime Minister Dr Ahmed Nazif reiterated the fact that Egypt has become a technology hub in the region, and that it is capable of competing internationally. This competitive edge will positively reflect on the Egyptian economy. In addition, Dr Nazif stressed Vodafone Egypt's proactive role and exceptional performance in increasing its investments in the Egyptian market.

In addition, Dr Tarek Kamel Minister of Communications and Information Technology expressed his content with Vodafone Egypt's signing of the 3G license. He said that the company's confidence in the Return on Investment conveys its faith in the growth of the Egyptian communications market, especially since the number of mobile users in Egypt has reached 18 million. The year-over-year growth rate of mobile users has reached 70%. Finally, Dr Kamel thanked the company's leaders for their efforts in finalizing the agreement.

Mr Mohamed Nosseir, Chairman of Vodafone Egypt said that the 3G license that cost EGP 3.34 billion, and the investments pumped in developing the network and building the infrastructure to provide the 3G technology, come within the context of Vodafone's strategy aimed at offering exceptional customer service and state-of-the-art telecommunications services to its customers, which have been faithfully offered by the company since its conception in 1998.

Mr Nosseir added that, "using the 3G mobile applications in Egypt will result in a new leap in this industry wherein Egypt has achieved indelible progress in the previous years. However, using 3G applications does not imply the end of the 2G and 2.5G as they will remain the backbone of this industry, especially for the majority of users whose dependence on the mobile is limited to voice calls and short text messages.

Mr Ian Gray, CEO of Vodafone Egypt, guaranteed that, "The 3G applications will be launched as soon as the infrastructure, which has been underway for some time now, is complete. 3G applications were launched internationally by Vodafone Group a in 2004 and have been in use by many operating companies in other countries. Hence, it is certain that we will benefit greatly from Vodafone's international expertise.

Gray added, "The main factor that characterizes our services is our human resources. This has become one of the most important sources for the building of expertise in the communications industry, not only in Egypt but in the region. This is a direct result of the training programs aimed at attaining a high level of competence. These programs led to the choosing of 200 of Vodafone Egypt's employees to offer technical support for 3G applications for Vodafone Australia's customers. The Australian Technical Support Contact Center is now operational from our head office in 6th of October.

Ian Gray pointed out that Vodafone Egypt's investments in network development and infrastructure in the past two years alone have reached EGP 3.4 billion. He said that Vodafone's cumulative investments to date have reached about EGP 9 billion.

Mr Omar El Sheikh Corporate Affairs Director said that, "3G applications include video telephony and the capacity to download full music tracks in a short period of time. This is in addition to the mobile TV and the high speed data services." Omar El Sheikh also said that the 3G applications will be launched soon and that the coverage will occur geographically on stages according to an ambitious plan set for a five-year period, during which most of the country will be covered.

Mr Omar El Sheikh also announced that next month, with the upcoming Cairo ICT trade fair and conference the company will set up 3G applications trials for participants and customers.

Mr Omar El Sheikh said that "Most of the handsets currently available in the market support 3G applications, which will help in the spreading of these services in the Egyptian market". He also added that, "The Egyptian communications market has surpassed 18 million users and the penetration rate now amounts to 22%. Vodafone Egypt has been able to strongly position itself in the market through the superior services it provides. It has increased competition among the networks for offering exceptional service and increasing the number of mobile users in Egypt."

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