Etisalat Egypt
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Cairo, Egypt |
| Products | Mobile phone services |
| Parent | Emirates Telecommunications Corporation |
| Website | www.etisalat.online |
Etisalat Egypt is a subsidiary of Etisalat U.A.E., the sole telecommunications services provider in the United Arab Emirates from 1976 until the arrival of Du (telco) in February 2007, and the first 3.5G network operator in Egypt. Etisalat Egypt is one of 15 service providers managed by Etisalat in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Etisalat group currently has access to a potential market of just below 1 billion subscribers and today Etisalat services over 130 million subscribers including the total number of fixed-line, Internet, mobile and television from each of its subsidiaries. In November 2007, Etisalat Egypt upgraded to 3.75G which is the marketing term for HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet access). The Uplink channel carries information from the mobile terminal to the network such as file uploading, e-mail attachments and user response in interactive games. HSUPA is an enhancement of 3.5G networks that increases upload speeds. HSDPA stands for High Speed Downlink Packet access. A Downlink channel carries information from the network to the mobile terminal such as video and music downloads. Etisalat Egypt was the first mobile operator in Egypt to offer Downlink speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s which is two times faster than 3.5G downlink speeds. Today, Etisalat Egypt’s 2G and 3G robust and high quality network covers and serves 99% of the population in Egypt, with download speed reaching up to 84Mbit/s. Moreover, Etisalat Egypt is the first and the only operator in Egypt that has an exclusive international gateway. In order to complete Etisalat Egypt’s product portfolio, two well-established ISPs (Internet Service Providers) were acquired and provide broadband services.
The incumbent was bought based on a consortium led by Etisalat U.A.E. in July 2006. The current ownership structure of the company is
- Etisalat U.A.E. with a share of 66%
- The Egyptian National Post Authority with a 20% share,
- DAS Holdings with a 5% share,
- DIFC LLC with a 5% share,
- Al Nabodah Investment Company with a 1.5% share,
- Technical Investment Company with a 1.5% share
- and Mawarid Finance with a 1% share,
License
The bidding went up to an all-time high reaching finally E£16.7 billion (US$3.1 billion) and acquiring the 3.5G license as well
On September 12, 2006, it was announced that the network will be built by Ericsson of Sweden, and Huawei of China, at a cost of approximately 1.2 billion US dollars .
Etisalat is one of three mobile operators in Egypt and since it was acquired, it provided more than 3,000 job opportunities and is still increasing in size.
Despite entering the market late into the game, Etisalat was able to hit the 1 million subscribers mark only 50 days after launching on April 30, 2007.
on October 16, 2016, Etisalat misr acquired the fourth-generation (4G) internet services licence after signing a $535.5 million agreement with the national telecom regulator. [1]
Launch
The official announcement of the launch was on 1 May 2007. Which after Etisalat announced the 3G services launch in Cairo.
United Arab Emirates telcom Etisalat has soft launched Egypt’s third wireless network, making it the first to launch 3G services in the North African country. Etisalat, which paid USD2.94 billion for the licence in 2006, postponed its initial launch date of February after it encountered problems in deploying the network in certain areas, as well as in agreeing terms and conditions with incumbent operators Vodafone and Mobinil. Over 400,000 people pre-registered with the operator, and at the time of launch Etisalat had installed 760 base stations, many of them 3G-capable. By the end of the year the operator expects the number of base stations to have risen to 2,500. Etisalat owns 66% of the cellco, with the Egyptian Post Office, National Bank of Egypt and Commercial International Bank holding the remainder.
Services
Network and coverage
Today, Etisalat Misr’s 2G and 3G network covers and serves 99% of the population in Egypt, with more than 5000 cell sites all over the country.
With 3.75G technology, subscribers can:
- make video-call;
- watch live TV;
- have access to high-speed internet connection and download;
- have access to a mobile portal built exclusively for Etisalat subscribers.
3.75G is the latest technology that encapsulates some protocols like UMTS, HSDPA and HSUPA.
Egypt Internet Shutdown
On the evening of Thursday, January 27, 2011 – just two days after the 2011 Egyptian protests erupted across Egypt – officials in the beleaguered government of Hosni Mubarak ordered the operators of the country's main internet and mobile phone providers to suspend their services. Egypt’s four main ISPs (Telecom Egypt, Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, and Etisalat Misr) and its three main mobile phone companies (Vodafone Egypt, Mobinil, and Etisalat) complied with the order. Etisalat, like Vodafone, issued a short statement[2] blaming the government for the suspension.
Market share
As of November 30, 2012, Etisalat has about 24.5 million active subscribers from almost 95.5 million mobile subscribers in Egypt.
Internet Service
In early 2009 Etisalat has acquired two working ISP Nile On Line and EgyNet. In sequence two subsidiaries were acquired also. Now Etisalat is offering ADSL service along with the usual Mobile Services.
Sponsorship
Etisalat has become the sole sponsor of many things since its launch.
Sports sponsorships
Etisalat signed a contract with the Egyptian football association to fully sponsor the Egyptian football and so, The Egyptian football league name has been changed to Etisalat Dawry دوري اتصالات, literally: Etisalat league).which has become more competitive than ever, Moreover, the Egyptian National Team won the African Cup Of Nations 08 under etisalat media support.
Etisalat sponsored the Egyptian Paralympics committee
On October 2011 Etisalat has signed a new sponsorship deal with Ahly club, the most popular sports club in Egypt. Etisalat held a grand ceremony attended by Mr. Hassan Hamdy, Ahly Chairman, Mr. Gamal El Sadat Etisalat Egypt Chairman, and Saleh Al Abdooli Etisalat CEO. The ceremony was marked by the attendance of the first team football and the release of the new Ahly jersey which the team will use for the 2011-2012 season.[3]
CSR “Origin” initiative
The company launched its renowned initiative “Origin” to tackle and contribute in solving the water problem on 4 frontiers. The first frontier is installing water connections for underprivileged families. The second frontier is building water purification stations in areas where people drink contaminated well or underground water. The third frontier is funding irrigation solutions that help preserve water and solve disputes amongst farmers in the countryside. The fourth frontier is helping patients of kidney failure (which is mainly a result of consuming contaminated water) get better treatment through supplying public hospitals with kidney dialysis machines and kidney dialysis stations that increase the efficiency of machines.
Since the launch in 2009, around 517,500 unfortunate citizens have benefitted from this initiative, as well as around 7,500kidney failure patients are treated on monthly basis.
Moreover, Etisalat Misr is currently undertaking a new “green” concept in its cell sites, where the company is installing cell sites that work using solar and/or wind energy. Etisalat Misr’s plan is to expand extensively in this new, state-of-the-art technology over the coming period.
