The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA) announced on Wednesday that it removed unlicensed wireless networks from major areas in Giza. Such networks had a negative impact on the quality of telecom services provided to users in Haram, Faisal, Kirdasa, and the surrounding areas within a diameter of 12 km, affecting voice and data transfer services. Service levels were consequently boosted in these areas, according to the measurements conducted by the NTRA post removal. In fact, this step comes in line with the NTRA's role to govern and regulate the telecom market as well as improve the level of service provided to users. The number of complaints raised by users living in Haram, Faisal, and Kirdasa had been increasingly escalated to NTRA, indicating service quality issues in such areas. As per the field inspections conducted by the NTRA's technical teams, it was clear that some users had been receiving telecom services from illegal networks not affiliated with any of the licensed operators in Egypt's market whatsoever, and therefore, telecom services in such residential areas were entirely affected. After taking the necessary legal action, members of the Telecom Police Force escorted by inspectors and law enforcement officers in the NTRA carried out a mission in which they removed 1,089 Wi-Fi routers, 146 short-range nano-stations, 157 access points, 202 multi-port switches, 19 long-range microwaves, 21 external antennas, and 33 power-supplies to telecom networks. As affirmed by the NTRA, law enforcement campaigns are carried out within the NTRA's strategy to boost the level of services provided to users and make sure all telecom devices in Egypt's market conform with the international standards. Such campaigns also aim to narrow down the use of unauthorised devices, eradicate harmful practices, and prevent violations in Egypt's telecom market, which have a negative impact on the quality of telecom services provided for users. To this end, the NTRA aims to ensure that all rules and regulating procedures are abided by to guarantee the rights of telecom users. The NTRA is also calling upon users of telecom services to make sure they are using the services provided by licensed telecom operators, since unlicensed networks do not actually abide by the quality standards acknowledged by the NTRA. Furthermore, users of such networks do not have the right to receive proper customer service or report any quality issue, with the NTRA adding that unlicensed networks are also illegal by virtue of law and have a harmful impact on service quality for wide distances in the areas where they are deployed.
