Egypt has allocated $3.5 billion worth of new radio spectrum to its four mobile network operators in the country’s largest-ever spectrum transaction, marking a major step in strengthening national connectivity and accelerating the rollout of 5G services.
The allocation, covering around 410 megahertz of frequencies, was granted to Telecom Egypt (WE), Vodafone Egypt, Orange Egypt, and e& Egypt, effectively doubling the spectrum currently available for mobile services. Authorities said the scale of the deal is comparable to the total spectrum assigned to the sector over the past three decades.
The move aligns with Egypt’s National Spectrum Roadmap 2026–2030, which aims to modernize spectrum management, expand broadband capacity, and support rising demand for data-intensive services across industries and consumers.
Officials say the additional spectrum will enable operators to improve network quality, expand coverage, and deliver faster and more reliable mobile services, particularly as Egypt advances the commercial deployment of 5G, which officially launched in 2025.
Beyond improving user experience, the government views the allocation as a strategic investment in Egypt’s digital economy, helping to enhance competitiveness, attract technology investment, and support emerging applications such as smart cities, cloud services, and the Internet of Things.
The spectrum deal also provides a significant boost to public revenues while giving operators long-term certainty to plan network investments in next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
