Telecommunications in Egypt

There are eight daily newspapers with a total circulation of more than 2 million, and a number of monthly newspapers, magazines, and journals. The majority of political parties have their own newspapers, and these papers conduct a lively, often highly partisan debate on public issues.

Egypt Post is the government-owned body that provides postal services.

See also Egyptian Radio and Television Union & List of radio stations in Egypt

The first radio service in Egypt began in 1925.[1] It is almost all government controlled, using 44 short-wave frequencies, 18 medium-wave stations, and four[2] FM stations. There are seven regional radio stations covering the country. Egyptian Radio transmits 60 hours daily overseas in 33 languages and three hundred hours daily within Egypt. In 2000, Radio Cairo introduced new specialized (thematic) channels on its FM station. So far, they include news, music, and sports. Radio enjoys more freedom than TV in its news programs, talk shows and analysis.

Starting 2003, Nile Radio Productions, a private company, was given license to operate two radio stations; Nile FM and Nogoum FM. Nile FM broadcasts in English and Nogoom FM broadcasts in Egyptian.[3] Both stations mostly broadcast mainly to the Greater Cairo region. In the early 2009, Radio Masr was launched, broadcasting popular Egyptian songs, news & other programs.

See also Egyptian television

Egyptian ground-broadcast television (ERTU) is government controlled and depends heavily on commercial revenue. ETV sells its specially produced programs and soap operas to the entire Arab world. ETV has two main channels, six regional channels, and three satellite channels. Of the two main channels, Channel I uses mainly Arabic, while Channel II is dedicated to foreigners and more cultured viewers, broadcasting news in English and French as well as Arabic.

Egyptian Satellite channels broadcast to the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. East Coast. In April 1998, Egypt launched its own satellite known as NileSat 101. Seven specialized channels cover news, culture, sports, education, entertainment, health, and drama. A second, digital satellite, Nilesat 102, was launched in August 2000. Many of its channels are rented to other stations.

Three new private satellite-based TV stations were launched in November 2001, marking a great change in Egyptian government policy. Dream TV 1 and 2 produce cultural programming, broadcast contemporary video clips and films featuring Arab and international actors, as well as soap operas; another private station focuses on business and general news. Both private channels transmit on NileSat.

In addition to Egyptian programming, the Middle East Broadcast Company, a Saudi television station transmitting from London (MBC), Arab Radio and Television (ART), Al-Jazeera television, and other Gulf stations as well as Western networks such as CNN and BBC, provide access to more international programs to Egyptians who own satellite receivers.

See also Telephone numbers in Egypt

Currently, there is a single company in charge of landline telephony, Telecom Egypt which is also government-controlled.

See also Telephone numbers in Egypt

Currently, there are four companies which offer cellular communication service: Orange, Vodafone, Etisalat, and We (by Telecom Egypt). These companies also provide services surpassing voice communication, such as 4G, 3G, and mobile internet.

The Internet companies market is dealt to two: infrastructure providers and service providers.

• Vodafone Egypt
• {NOOR Data Network}
• Telecom Egypt
• Orange DSL
• Etisalat Egypt

There are 8 major Service Provider companies which sell their services to smaller ISPs. The highest available speed through ADSL technologies was upgraded to 8Mb in download in February 2008 and then to 24Mb later that year. The Egyptian ISP market is not competitive, at least in Cairo and Alexandria, with only 3 ISPs offering below-average speeds(Up to 16Mbit/s).

Orascom, one of the shareholders in the leading cellular operator MobiNil, is also the biggest player in the Internet service provision market and owns 75 per cent of one of Egypt's largest ISP, LINKdotNET. The tie-up with the mobile operator is significant in that WAP services were introduced in May for a trial period, making Egypt one of the first countries in Africa to have introduced WAP.

NileOnline and Egynet has been recently sold to Etisalat, increasing Etisalat access into the broadband market. with this acquisition all class I tier ISPs mentioned above are owned by the major telecommunication companies operating in the country.

Raya is owned by Vodafone Egypt, Nileonline and Egynet are now owned by Etisalat, TEdata is owned and operated by the oldest telecom company in the region telecom Egypt and link.net is owned by Orascom telecom.

On January 27, 2011, almost all internet connectivity to Egypt was shut off by the Egyptian government.[4]

Egypt is following closely the efforts to standardize WiMax technologies as they permit simpler and faster access to Internet services, especially as WiMax receivers are integrated into PC processors. The government is still also holding discussions with relevant stakeholders to determine the best policy framework for introducing WiMax into the market through existing or new operators.

• Satellite

• Telecom Egypt

• Orange
• Vodafone
• Etisalat
• Telecom Egypt
• WE

main lines in use: 10.808 million (2006)

mobile cellular: 300.047 million (2007)

large system; underwent extensive upgrading during the 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, the landline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in 2006 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007 there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expanding rapidly

principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay

landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 AND SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; linked to the international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel

AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

3.07 million (1997)

98 (1995)

220 (2008)

Class A Data Service Providers in Egypt:

International Wholesale & Enterprise services:

1- NOOR Data Network.

2- TE Data (WE).

3- Vodafone Egypt.

4- Orange Egypt.

5- Etisalat Egypt.

Mobile-Data & consumer services:

1 - Orange. (4G/Broadband)

2 - WE (Broadband/PRI/Landline)

3- Vodafone. (4G/Broadband)

4- Etisalat. (4G/Broadband)

5- NOOR Telecommunications (Broadband, Premium-Broadband & mVPN).

5,363 (2007)

12,568,900(As of June 2009)

Country codes

.EG (Top-level domain)