Egypt reaches 72 per cent mobile penetration

Mobile phone connections in Egypt reached 56.49 million by the end of February 2010, equating to a mobile penetration rate of around 72 per cent according to figures from the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority. New subscriptions in February totalled 642,000.

The number of mobile customers across the country grew 30 per cent from a year earlier when numbers peaked at 43.49 million. The population is estimated at 78 million.

There are currently three mobile firms servicing Egypt – Mobinil, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Egypt. The country’s communications minister said in January the licensing of a fourth mobile could be on the cards in the near future, which state-owned landline provider Telecom Egypt has hinted it would be keen to snap up.