Etisalat wins 2G/3G licence in Egypt

July 5, 2006

The consortium led by Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- etisalat- has won the bid for the third Egyptian mobile network licence, with a bid of Egyptian Pounds 16.7 billion. The auction was supervised by Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MoICT). The consortium now holds the licence to operate Egypt's third mobile network, which will include both 2G and 3G services.

This achievement further drives etisalat's rapid expansion in the region, and boosts its commitment to providing enhanced customer services and enabling technologies to the largest markets in the region.

Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman, etisalat, said: "We were very confident that Egypt is a sound investment, and that the process of licensing and deciding will be in favor of the offer that will best serve the Egyptian customer. We would like to thank the Egyptian NTRA and MoICT for the transparency and objectivity in the selection process. We are delighted and honored that the decision was in favor of our consortium."

"I would like to express our appreciation to our strategic partners in the consortium- Egypt Post, National Bank of Egypt and Commercial International Bank. The partners worked together professionally in achieving this goal", he added.

etisalat's Egyptian partners bring exceptional contributions, which, when added to those of etisalat, ensured the success of the consortium. Egypt Post has a century worth of experience in operating its nationwide distribution network and is committed to continuously modernizing and enhancing its services. The National Bank of Egypt is the nation's first and largest bank with an extensive country wide presence. The Commercial International Bank (Egypt) is Egypt's premier privately owned bank. With these partners, etisalat is extremely well placed to deploy its services quickly in strategic areas, in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

The consortium partners have a major advantage in the market, given the guaranteed quality and commitment to guiding, assisting and developing cost effective and technologically advanced services that will meet the various needs of the Egyptian customer.

"etisalat is focused on its expansion goals, and on being in a position to pave the way for the new dynamism in the region's telecommunication industry well into the 21st Century. We believe that our customer-centric business strategy will ensure that we achieve our objectives," Omran said.

The Chairman of etisalat also emphasized that the granting of the third license to the consortium would open avenues for cooperation with Telecom Egypt for opportunities both locally, regionally and internationally.

"We are delighted to have won the license. This is an important investment for Egypt Post and we are confident that with our century-long and country-wide experience in serving our customers all over Egypt and with etisalat's state-of-the-art technologies and vast experience in the telecom sector, we and all our partners will be able to deliver to Egyptian customers a truly technologically advanced and value-added service that is customer oriented and focused, which will meet the Egyptian customers' expectations," stated Eng. Alaa Fahmy, Chairman, Egypt Post.

etisalat has established itself as an international player by managing and operating telecom companies in international markets including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, Togo, and Ivory Coast, and most recently, Afghanistan.