The National Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA) and the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) have signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation to form a joint executive committee with a major purpose to enhance the existing system for protecting free competition in Egypt’s telecom market. The Memorandum was signed at NTRA’s premises at Smart Village and it reinforces cooperation to achieve a unified vision among regulatory authorities. Furthermore, this step would polarize and foster new investments and would maintain the current investments as well. It also aims to achieve integrated work mechanisms, in respect to the regulatory as well as the supervisory part of telecom process, being the cornerstone of Digital Transformation. Such cooperation also ensures no monopolizing practices, that would have an adverse impact on telecom services provided to citizens in Egypt’s market, would ever take place.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Eng. Hossam El-Gamal, the Executive President of NTRA, and Dr. Mahmoud Momtaz, the Chairman of ECA.
Eng. Hossam El-Gamal, the Executive President of NTRA, clarified that the Memorandum of Understanding was signed and the joint executive committee was formed in line with NTRA’s empathy to coordinate as well as cooperate with ECA to reinforce market free-competition mechanisms. This step also aims to foster and enhance the competitive environment in Egypt’s telecom market to be able to polarize more investments, via the expertise exchanged between both parties. This cooperation also embodies NTRA’s strategy and vision to develop the ICT market and open new investment horizons, within a competitive, fair and safe business environment. Furthermore, it integrates with other joint cooperation agreements signed by and between NTRA and different government authorities to consolidate the efforts of developing Egypt’s ICT market.
He added that NTRA, pursuant to Law No. 10 of 2003, is the official authority competent to regulate and manage the ICT sector in the Arab Republic of Egypt. It ensures the fulfillment of telecommunication requirements of individuals, organizations and companies as well as of the different productive, economic, administrative and servicing sectors of the State, alongside encouraging investment in such a sector.
At his side, Dr. Mahmoud Momtaz, the Chairman of ECA, affirmed that ICT sector is chief among major economic sectors at the epicenter of ECA, within its role to monitor all economic practices. It is also a vital sector focused on by ECA while conducting investigations and researches, as well as while collecting inferences to remove free competition obstacles or restrictions resulted by certain agreements and practices.
He also commended the continuous as well as efficient cooperation with NTRA. In this context, he announced the formation of a “joint executive committee” with a major purpose of setting more executive frameworks for the cooperation protocol signed by both parties. Moreover, he asserted that all expertise and capacities of ECA, in terms of fostering free competition, will be seamlessly harnessed in ICT sector. This would actually take place in cooperation and coordination with NTRA, availing of NTRA’s enormous experience in such a vital and major sector. This cooperation also aims to reinforce competition in ICT sector in light of the growing steps taken towards Digitization, and would therefore provide competitive services to users. So as to be mentioned, ECA’s cooperation with NTRA seeks to open new markets in such a promising sector, polarize more investments and confront any practices that would hinder, restrict or harm competition in such a sector. It also aims to early envisage, confront and prevent any economic activities that could result in harmful monopolistic practices in the market. Through the said committee, ECA also aims to restrict any decisions or policies which may cause serious harms to competition in ICT sector. Moreover, this would ensure competitive impartiality and implement the second goal of ECA’s strategy; to reduce any legislations, policies and decisions restricting free competition.