CAIRO: This year's Cairo ICT opened Sunday with the general consensus that the sector has remained relatively unfazed by the economic slowdown. Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tarek Kamel toured the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) trade fair and forum, which is currently in its 14th year. The forum will close on Feb. 10. Kamel heard presentations from the country's three mobile network operators as well as countless ICT manufacturers, multinational communications companies and government agencies such as Egypt Post. Telecom represents one of Egypt's most promising sectors, as demonstrated by the interest of international companies eager to invest in the market, as well as attempts by previously lack-luster organizations, such as Egypt Post, trying to get a piece of the expanding profits. Huawei, one of the largest telecom manufacturers in China, that established its MENA headquarters in Egypt in 2001, spoke of its commitment to investing in local Egyptian labor and skills training. Kamel responded, saying, "We welcome our Chinese friends as experts. We want to see broad cooperation, with the Egyptian community working together with the Chinese. "Our office in the Smart Village has about 1,500 employees, 60 percent of whom are local and 40 percent are Chinese. We work with all three mobile operators in Egypt and currently are focusing on 3G networks, Alaa Adly, chief technical officer for Huawei's MENA office, said. Adly explained that China's interest in Egypt runs deeper than providing well priced merchandise, as Huawei is currently in partnership with the Ministry of Education to develop a program for technological integration in the Egyptian public school system. "The Chinese financial situation is good despite the recession; they have a lot of cash. Chinese banks are looking for social projects to finance in developing countries. Huawei initiated a project with the Ministry of Education.to provide hardware, applications and tools to connect all Egyptian schools with a common database and library data center. Adly pointed out that China has already implemented similar programs in the Chinese school system and is exporting the system to countries like Sudan. "We hope that the new minister of education will continue the work of the previous minister, and that the project could be completed 18 months after implementation.The government attitude in Egypt is very difficult, he concluded. In other sectors, the government moves more quickly; the government mail service, Egypt Post, is capitalizing on its position as a trusted institution with 3,800 branches around Egypt. Mahmoud Gamal El Din, vice chairman of economic affairs and business development, explained Egypt Post's prominent profile among the telecom companies represented at the conference. "Traditionally, the post was the only form of communication. We're offering services now to maintain and enhance our position, building on the long tradition of trust and customer service. Established in 1865 and operating as a vehicle for non-bank financial transactions since 1901, Egypt Post has recently increased its focus on corporate services to include mass scale printing and delivery, as well as electronic archiving. The Ministry of Communication demonstrates greater willingness to adapt to a changing context than the Ministry of Education. For example, the ministry's Go Green Initiative had booklets available to encourage electricity-saving behavior and electronic devices. The ministry's partnership with UNDP on the ICT Trust Fund for small and medium enterprises also indicates at least nominal support for more aspects of the ICT sector than its role as a cash cow. As mobile technology reaches higher market penetration, the telecom sector must continue to push itself to innovate, or the current telecom buzz will prove an unsustainable market bubble.
