Egypt collects $3.5bn from ‘largest’ spectrum deal

Egypt has signed its “largest spectrum deal”, allocating 410 megahertz of new spectrum to four mobile operators.

The new spectrum – radio frequency bands used for wireless communications such as 4G and 5G mobile services – was allocated to Telecom Egypt, e& Egypt, Vodafone Egypt and Orange Egypt.

It is equivalent to the total frequency assigned to mobile operators in the last 30 years, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement.

The deal has added a record $3.5 billion to the government’s exchequer, the statement said.

“We are doubling the frequency capacities available to operators over thirty years in one deal,” said communications minister Amr Talaat.

The expansion builds on Egypt’s launch of 5G services in June 2025, Talaat said. He added that telecoms has been the fastest-growing sector in the country over the past eight years, contributing about 6 percent of GDP.

In November 2024, Telecom Egypt and Vodafone Egypt signed a series of significant infrastructure service agreements worth $609 million, including deals to prepare the country for the rollout of 5G.

In May 2023, the Egyptian government sold a 9.5 percent stake in Telecom Egypt for EGP3.75 billion ($121.6 million).