GSMA calls for 4G spectrum road map
Growing international interest in 4G license? Add Saudi Telecom and China Telecom to the list of international mobile network operators said to be interested in bidding for Egypt’s upcoming 4G licenses should the current MNOs in Egypt not all bid. Bloomberg’s Tamim Elyan reports that while neither STC nor China Telecom have made official requests, a CIT Ministry staffer says the two are interested. This comes after we noted yesterday a newswire report that Kuwait’s Zain and one other operator had formally expressed interest.
Meanwhile, global mobile operator trade association GSMA (Groupe Spécial Mobile Association) has called on the Egyptian government to put together a clear roadmap for implementing 4G services. “The GSMA is concerned about sufficient spectrum being made available at fair, market-reflective prices to support full-fledged 4G rollout,” GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer John Giusti said in a statement. “A clear spectrum roadmap is necessary to allow operators to understand how and when sufficient spectrum will be made available.”