An official at Vodafone Egypt said that his company paid 50% of the amount due for the 4G licence, adding that a cheque for EGP 1.5bn was sent to the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA). The agreement was signed in Smart Village and is worth $335m. Vodafone Egypt is expected to pay an additional $167.5 within a month from the date of signing the licence on 15 October. The NTRA has agreed with the three mobile phone operators to receive the payments for the 4G licence within a month. They also agreed to pay 50% of the amount in US dollars. The NTRA signed agreements with Etisalat and Vodafone Egypt on Saturday to obtain the 4G licence. The frequencies for the 4G services given to Vodafone are 5 MHz, worth $335m, while Etisalat will be given 10 MHz at a value of $535.5m. The NTRA said the signature included a licence for fixed landline services at a value of $11.262m, and thus the total frequencies owned by Etisalat increased to 40 MHz and 42.5 MHz for Vodafone. Orange Egypt signed the 4G licence and fixed landline services agreement on Thursday, before the other two operators, at a value of $484m and $11.2m, respectively.
