Owning a mobile device that hasn’t been approved for use by regulators could soon land you five years in prison under amendments to Telecommunication Regulation Act greenlit by cabinet last week

What gives? The amendments, if passed by the House of Representatives, would toughen penalties for the use, operation, installation or import of any mobile device or telecom equipment not approved by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA). The changes aim to crack down on unlicensed rooftop signal boosters and parallel market imports of handsets, among other pieces of kit. Penalties range to five years in prison and fines of EGP 100k-5mn — or double that if the devices are used to “undermine national security,” according to a cabinet statement.

MEANWHILE- It's going to get easier for industrial facilities to get temporary permits: Under legal amendments, the Industrial Development Authority will be able to hand out temporary licenses to industrial companies, allowing them to operate for 1-3 years while they work to fulfill the license requirements.

AND- A move to boost yacht tourism: The cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s draft decision to issue regulations for foreign yachts in efforts to boost yacht tourism in Egypt. The draft decision includes establishing a digital platform for tourist yachts, to be managed by the Transport Ministry’s Maritime Transport Sector. The platform will be the one-stop-shop for tourist yachts, managing, developing and issuing the necessary approvals and permits.