GSMA Calls for 4G Spectrum Roadmap in Egypt
Further Dialogue Between Government and Mobile Industry Needed Ahead of 4G Licensing
“There are some critical success factors that should to be clarified before moving forward with 4G licensing in Egypt,” said John Giusti, GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer. “The GSMA is concerned about sufficient spectrum being made available at fair, market-reflective prices to support full-fledged 4G rollout. A clear spectrum roadmap is necessary to allow operators to understand how and when sufficient spectrum will be made available. We believe that further dialogue between government and industry ahead of the proposed licensing process could provide clarity on a plan to bring world-class 4G mobile broadband to consumers and businesses across Egypt.”
Based on the GSMA’s international experience, the total amount of spectrum assigned to each operator for 4G needs to be in the range of 2x30MHz to 2x60MHz, across a range of coverage and capacity bands, with a minimum contiguous bandwidth of 2x10MHz in each band (to enable efficient network economics). It is also essential that cost of spectrum access enables the delivery of the long-term social and economic benefits of mobile broadband and takes into account the investment necessary to provide robust networks.
“To ensure the lowest possible cost and best possible experience for consumers, national 4G services must be able to scale rapidly,” added Giusti. “This requires that sufficient spectrum be made available now, and that plans for future spectrum releases are clarified. Having a spectrum roadmap is critical for business and investment planning.”
A recent Memorandum of Understanding between the GSMA, the Government of Egypt and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA)[1] was agreed to promote a regulatory environment in Egypt that stimulates long-term investment in mobile services.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.
[1] http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/national-telecommunications-regulatory-authority-of-egypt-and-gsma-announce-agreement/
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160718005196/en/
Website: http://www.gsma.com
Contact
Charlie Meredith-Hardy
+44 7917 298428
CMeredith-Hardy@webershandwick.com
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com
This news is a press release provided by GSMA.