Page 114 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

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Egypt

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority including Britain, Italy, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. He
(NTRA) is in the process of completing commercial licenses said that 20% of customers from the four mobile companies
for Egyptian satellite “Tiba 1” with the company responsible use 4G technology, noting that the customer will not feel much
for its management. Mustafa Abdel-Wahed, Acting Executive of a difference in services without launching applications that
President of the Authority, said that it played an advisory role affect their daily life. “Egypt’s position in mobile data services
in launching the satellite in cooperation with the International is not bad,” he said, stressing that companies have exceeded
Telecommunication Union (ITU), coordinating with the French targets set in the deployment of 4G technology. Regarding
side in the technical aspects and determining its orbits. Abdel the results of the World Radiocommunication Conference, he
Wahed explained that the authority is currently discussing with revealed the coordination between Arab and African countries
the company responsible for the management and marketing of on issues related to frequencies and prevention of interference
the satellite commercially owned by the state due to a decision with neighboring markets. Most of the controversial issues on
from the Prime Minister- the frequencies of telecommunications the conference agenda were also resolved. On the participation
and Internet services and licensing prices, as well as the service of the authority in the exhibition, Abdel Wahed said that the
prices provided to customers. He pointed out that the new satellite focus will be on presenting methods of measuring the quality of
will provide great speeds for the Internet, covering all governorates telecommunications services in 81 regions nationwide by mobile
of the country, pointing out that the prices of satellite Internet cars, compared to about 40. In addition, they will also work on
services are usually higher than the cost of high-speed fiber- raising awareness on the crimes stipulated in the Anti-IT Crimes
optic cables. The Tiba-1 satellite, weighing 5.6 tonnes, was built Law No. 175 of 2018 and the mechanisms for making a formal
by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space at a cost of more than €100m. complaint to the body. Regarding the coverage of new cities
It will remain in space for 15 years and was successfully launched and highways, he noted that NTRA has recently issued a tender
days ago from the French Guiana base in South America. The to mobile operators to cover some of Upper Egypt’s roads with
satellite will provide broadband internet services to individuals funding from the authority’s Universal Service Fund. He ruled
and businesses in Egypt and some North African and Nile Basin out the idea of increasing the mobile numbering to be 12 digits,
countries. On the other hand, Abdel Wahed said that the fine stressing that the current numbering is enough for up to a billion
imposed on “WE” and “Vodafone” telecommunication companies mobile lines. As for President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s notes at the
during the last period aimed at improving the quality of services, Africa Investment Forum on the construction of 20,000 mobile
pointing out that the imposition of the fine was due to the sudden towers, he confirmed that it is expected to establish a company
interruption of the service and not because of the quality of specialized in launching mobile towers to apply for a license from
service reports issued by the authority monthly. In addition, NTRA the authority to meet that requirement. It is noteworthy that Al-
imposed a fine of EGP 10m on Vodafone and EGP 12m on WE Sisi asked Minister of Communications Amr Talaat to launch
for disconnecting their service from customers without notice. 20,000 mobile towers within a year instead of 10 years.
The two companies then compensated its customers once they (December 1, 2019) dailynewssegypt.com
were all located. As for complaints, Abdel Wahed said that the
authority receives 5,000 weekly complaints on mobile services on Within the framework of NTRA’s incessant keenness to enhance
hotline 155, mostly related to the accuracy of bills, of which 98% the quality of telecom services provided to citizens, and owing
are resolved. He also revealed that the authority is considering to grave failures and breakdowns in the mobile network of WE
activating the system of selling new mobile chips using the company that seriously affected the telecom services provided to
customer’s fingerprint inside the stores. It also makes sure to a segment of the company’s customers in a number of areas for
filter the subscribers’ databases monthly to reduce the spread several hours on Wednesday 30 October 2019, and as the above-
of anonymous lines. Abdel Wahed confirmed that he is reviewing mentioned fact is considered grave breakdowns and violation of
the companies’ efforts in the audit of the data of line owners, the licenses and agreements entered with WE, Mobile Operator;
without seeing the data because he is not legally entitled to that. Consequently, the NTRA followed up on the problem with WE,
Responding to some companies’ objections on the methods of Mobile Operator, which, in turn, submitted a detailed report about
measuring the quality of telecommunications services, he said the problem, its causes and the measures and actions taken in
that the objection of operators to the measurements of the quality this regard. Accordingly, NTRA decided to impose a fine of LE 12
reports of the authority is logical, especially since the previous million (twelve million Egyptian pounds) on the company, that
telecommunications licenses did not set the quality of standards should be paid within seven days of the date, in implementation of
accurately until the introduction of the license of 4G services in Article No. 18 of the licenses granted to the company concerning
2017. In July, the Minister of Communications inaugurated the the quality of service level. The NTRA has taken into account,
National Center for Measuring the Quality of Telecommunication on determining the value of the financial penalty, a number of
Services with investments worth EGP 50m. The German factors, most importantly, the number of subscribers affected
company Rohde & Schwarz was hired to implement quality by the service interruption, the duration of breakdowns and the
measurements with the support of its expertise in other countries number of areas affected. (November 1, 2019) tra.gov.eg

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