"THE WORLD as we Know is Changing" is the slogan of the 12th Information and Communication Technology exhibition, Cairo ICT 2008, which was inaugurated 24 February by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tareq Kamel. The four- day event showcases the latest products and solutions in the field of ICT, including networks, computing, satellites and broadcast systems. Telecom Egypt's (TE) booth attracted visitors by using a large screen to advertise its new services and a music band. Several new products and discounted offers were unveiled, including TE's Internet service provider TEdata launching the new Triple Play -- which merges phone, Internet and interactive television services. TE has been offering new services and facilitating procedures for customers to get new fixed telephone lines as a way to hedge against impending competition with the introduction of a new fixed-line licence. In fact, Egypt's second fixed-line licence received a special mention during the opening ceremony. "We have long awaited this project, and it's not an easy one," Kamel told his audience. "It requires a lot of effort and shows how committed we are about competition in Egypt and providing better services." He added that although Egypt brought in a third mobile operator in 2007, the experience with fixed lines will not be the same because it requires a much larger investment. Success will depend on the balance of interests between the existing sole operator Telecom Egypt, the new operator and the customer. The large investments to build fixed-line infrastructure were at the core of discussions, with suggestions that the new operator use the infrastructure of TE and spend the money on improving content and services. Amr Badawi, head of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA), said that the new fixed-line operator will use some of TE's infrastructure but the NTRA will put some obligations on it to invest in other infrastructure and assist in areas like national roaming for mobiles. Badawi stressed that nothing can be done to prevent existing mobile operators from applying for the licence, and in fact considers their existing infrastructure as an advantage. The exhibition area of Cairo ICT 2008 increased to 19,000 square metres to house 350 exhibitors. The Ministry of Interior participated with three booths, delivering on the spot service to visitors who want to issue national identity cards. In ten years, the exhibition has attracted more than 500,000 specialised visitors, and more than 4,500 Egyptian, Arab and multinational companies. Foreigners and Arabs account for 60 per cent of the participants at this year's expo, which has become an annual event for IT and communication companies to offer new products and unveil future plans. The exhibition is formatted to address the needs of business, investment and other sectors. Cairo ICT also includes a large shopper area, known as "The Mall". The IT sector is growing by 20 per cent annually and becoming a strong export industry, which is contributing to the growth of the economy. In 2007, there were many positive milestones for this sector, such as the launch of the third mobile licence; both Vodafone and MobiNil acquiring the licence to offer third generation services; and Egypt's participation in many international IT events such as the CEBIT exhibition in Germany and the GSM conference in Spain.
