The National Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA) has initiated procedures to boost the efficiency of basic telecommunications services in Sinai Peninsula. NTRA has actually started to finance establishing and operating cell sites for 30 urban areas as well as 4 major roads, with an overall length of 112 km and at a total cost of EGP 513 million. It is worth noting that services would start functioning by the end of June 2022. In fact, NTRA will undertake boosting telecom services in North Sinai and South Sinai Governorates through the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is mainly responsible for financing the national projects of communications and information technology, alongside infrastructure necessary for basic telecom services. This step comes in line with NTRA’s role to regulate and disseminate telecom services across the Arab Republic of Egypt, with an aim to reinforce national and social correlations as well as contribute to economic growth. Furthermore, the step is consistent with the State’s strategy to achieve sustainable and comprehensive growth, as well as to provide telecom services, in Sinai. This would actually contribute to raising the national income, creating new job opportunities and enlarging the areas fit for accommodation and growth.  

In this regard and within its role to follow up on the quality of services as well as conduct quality measurements, NTRA clarified that issues were monitored at some areas and roads of Sinai. Therefore, NTRA has launched a limited bid for licensed telecom companies to establish and operate cell sites, with purpose to boost the efficiency of telecom services and provide coverage for the areas affected. This would actually take place through establishing and operating 90 cell sites at areas as well as roads of; Saint Catherine, Ras Sudr, El-Tor and Neweiba’.

It is worth mentioning that NTRA, through USF, had previously launched and financed projects to establish, operate and provide mobile services for 54 urban areas as well as 22 strategic roads across the Arab Republic of Egypt, with an overall length of 3100 km and at a total cost reaching EGP 1 billion and 668 million. These measures come within an integrated plan to cover the widely-populated areas in Egypt including countryside as well as areas of economic and urban expansion. They are also consistent with NTRA’s endeavors to provide telecom coverage for new roads.