Egypt's ITIDA awards digital signature licences to Fixed Misr, El-Delta Electronic

Agency's move aims to fast-track adoption of digital signatures across Egypt

Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has awarded Fixed Misr and El-Delta Electronic Systems licences to provide digital signature services.
The new licences recognise the two companies for receiving the highest scores in the overall evaluation of submitted offers.
ITIDA CEO Amr Mahfouz said, "Eight companies submitted bids for licences to provide digital signature services, four of which were accepted based on technical and financial proposal evaluation separately, while the other four companies were turned down for not obtaining at least 75% of the grades, per the statement of work and the technical requirements."
Mahfouz added, "ITIDA's Board of Directors has made the decision to grant the licences to two companies with the highest scores catering to market needs with the availability of five services providers, and according to the study, the agency is currently doing to apply the latest digital signature technologies and in Egypt."
ITIDA's decision to grant new digital signature licences is part and parcel of the huge development witnessed in the IT sector in Egypt. It comes in support of the nationwide digital transformation efforts, and to accelerate the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's Digital Egypt strategy.
Additionally, the digital signature aims to link government services to the private and civil sectors, which requires the expansion of digital signature adoption across Egypt.
Mahfouz explained that the duration of the licence is three years, and will start from the date of the operation permit and the issuance of the licence from the Egyptian Root Certificate Authority (Root CA). This is subject to renewal for another similar period or periods, per the decision of ITIDA.
Hazem Saafan, Managing Director of El-Delta Electronic Systems, said that the company is more than ready to implement its business plans as per the schedule set by ITIDA.
This is to guarantee the success of all aspects of the digital signature system, including management, operations, maintenance, and follow-up services.
"El-Delta applies international standards of information security and services quality in cooperation with global consultants, and through our partnership with Telecom Egypt to achieve the extensive outreach, and ensure the highest quality provided to citizens," Saafan said, "We have successful experience in implementing DX projects such as the Automation of Electronic Tax Invoice System, e-examinations applied in Egyptian universities, and the infrastructure upgrade in university hospitals."
For his part, Mahmoud Ahmed, Managing Director of Fixed Misr, expressed his enthusiasm for gaining the licence and his confidence in his company's capabilities to carry out any technical and operational commitment.
He added that the company excels in providing high levels of service to both individuals and businesses, through a huge network of service outlets thanks to its partnership with Etisalat Egypt.