Vodafone Egypt, WE bid for new cellular frequencies; Orange, Etisalat opt out: Vodafone Egypt and Telecom Egypt’s WE (pdf) have submitted offers in the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s (NTRA) tender for new cellular frequencies, Youm7 reports. No details were provided on the value of the two companies’ bids. Orange Egypt and Etisalat Misr did not bid in the tender. The NTRA is selling 40 MHz of bandwidth for USD 600 mn and another 20-MHz band for USD 300 mn, with the planned sale of a second 20-MHz band at a later date. Enterprise reached out to representatives from the NTRA, Orange and Etisalat, but none were available for comment.

Background: Mobile network operators have repeatedly asked the NTRA to provide access to more spectrum since 2017 when the regulator first launched 4G in the country. The NTRA sold licenses for 4G frequencies for USD 1.1 bn and EGP 10 bn, and each provider was allocated spectrum between 5-15 MHz. State-owned Telecom Egypt received 15 MHz, while Orange and Etisalat both got 10 MHz, and Vodafone received 5 MHz.