In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review at the 18th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, Mohamed Nasr, CEO of Telecom Egypt, shared the company’s ambitious efforts to transform Egypt into a global connectivity powerhouse.
With near-complete Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) coverage, strategic investments in subsea cable infrastructure, and the rapid expansion of data centers, Telecom Egypt is at the forefront of driving digital innovation and growth.
With Telecom Egypt nearing full Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) coverage and making strides in subsea cable developments, how are these advancements shaping your vision for Egypt’s role as a connectivity hub?
We’ve had a long-standing relationship with fiber optics, starting early with subsea cables. Initially, these cables were coaxial, but eventually, fiber optics became the standard. Our journey with fiber began even before deploying it on the ground, dating back to 1997, when we started working with fiber-based submarine cables. Over time, the technology expanded, progressing from Fiber-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) and eventually Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), marking a significant evolution in connectivity.
Telecom Egypt has been investing in subsea cables for many years and is a key player in all major cable consortia crossing Egypt. These cables connect the Middle East, Asia, South Africa, and East Africa to Europe. To support this, we’ve developed robust and resilient infrastructure, with multiple submarine cables landing at various stations. We continue to invest in subsea cable stations at both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, ensuring connectivity through resilient networks.
Domestically, as connectivity demands increase, the need for fiber grows as well. We’ve connected the national backbone with fiber to serve the Egyptian market, and with the advent of 5G, mobile sites also require fiber connectivity. We’ve partnered with mobile operators to deploy fiber to their sites. By the end of this year, Telecom Egypt will achieve 100% fiber coverage across its network, significantly enhancing fixed broadband connectivity.
For new developments, fiber to the home has been the standard, but we’re now focusing on replacing legacy copper networks with fiber to ensure complete fiberization. Our goal is simple: to make everything fiber, because, as we say, ‘Fiber is the new gold.’
Telecom Egypt is actively enhancing its data center capabilities and attracting global hyperscalers. What are your plans for expanding this infrastructure to further solidify Egypt’s position in the global digital ecosystem?
Data centers are a critical component of the network, serving as the backbone for hosting and delivering the data that everyone demands. Networks need to connect to content, and this content is stored in data centers. Recognizing the importance of data centers early on, we began deploying multiple small data centers within our network to serve enterprises in Egypt and global carriers, as well as international content providers hosting their data with us.
As the demand for data grew rapidly, we shifted our focus to larger-scale infrastructure. This led to the development of our Regional Data Hub (RDH) center, which is directly connected to all subsea cable stations. Phase one of the RDH became operational in 2021 and is now almost fully utilized. To meet the growing demand, we launched the construction of RDH phase two, marking the next stage of expansion. Additionally, there are plans for two more phases, ensuring continuous growth in our data center capabilities.
However, we cannot solely rely on our own investments in data centers. We are actively connecting our network to all data centers in Egypt, fostering an ecosystem that encourages investors to build more facilities. With the increasing demand for data center space—particularly as customers require larger capacities—we are accelerating our construction efforts while welcoming additional investments from other data center developers.
New technologies and applications, such as AI, are driving demand at an unprecedented pace. To keep up, we are encouraging a collaborative approach where everyone can contribute to building data center infrastructure. Our commitment is to connect our extensive fiber network to any new data center deployed in Egypt, supporting a thriving and scalable digital ecosystem.
As 5G adoption accelerates globally, how is Telecom Egypt preparing its networks and partnerships to meet the increased demand for bandwidth and advanced digital services?
In a way, we’ve been fortunate to experience a delay in the adoption of 5G in Egypt. This allowed us to observe and learn from the experiences of other markets. By analyzing what went right, what went wrong, and where the focus should be, we gained valuable insights, particularly in terms of the challenges of 5G monetization, which many carriers face. We studied similar markets to understand the quickest and most effective ways to monetize 5G by identifying the specific applications that truly require its capabilities.
As the last mobile operator to enter the market, we had the advantage of building the most 5G-ready network from the outset. Starting with 4G, we designed our infrastructure to be future-proof, ensuring readiness for 5G deployment. Now, with licenses obtained and site activation underway, we are strategically focusing on areas and applications where 5G is genuinely needed, rather than aiming for widespread deployment where it may not provide significant value.
One critical aspect of 5G is its dependency on fiber. The success of 5G services is intrinsically linked to robust fiber connectivity, which provides the necessary speed and low latency to fully unlock its potential. This partnership between 5G and fiber is especially vital for enterprise customers, who demand a resilient network capable of carrying critical business traffic.
Our approach involves offering a mix of emerging technologies, such as 5G and, in the future, 5G-Advanced, alongside a strong fiber backbone. This combination ensures we can meet the evolving needs of enterprises while delivering reliable, high-performance connectivity for diverse applications.
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