NTRA-Egypt Says EGP1 bln to Convert into Digital Broadcasting

National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has finalized preparing national plan to convert into digital broadcasting for telephone services instead of depending on High-frequencies airway by 2015.

Transiting into digital broadcasting comes among the submitted plan by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) , expecting that the total cost will reach up EGP1 billion , Eng. Hesham Alayli CEO of NTRA asserted.

Alayli has quoted Amwal Al Ghad Arabic’s Website that the numbers of fixed telephones users without relying on satellite broadcasting services in Egypt ranging between 5-7 million beneficiaries, adding that the tapped investments will be allocated to provide those beneficiaries with reception of digital broadcasts instead of the traditional broadcast.

NTRA is targeting to offer auction for the domestic firms for manufacturing these devices locally within months, noting that the new frequencies will be used in the fourth generation for mobile and internet, Alayli noted.

He denied what has recently circulated regarding the availability of new frequencies will provide EGP25 billion (US$3.5 billion), pointing out that the returns will not attain the mentioned amounts.

NTRA was granted the mobile operators additional spectrum by 1800 MHz last June, stressing that 10MB for Etisalat Egypt and about 2.5 MB for both Mobinil and Vodafone Egypt , the country will get EGP1.2 billion from the three operators .