Egypt Completes Africa’s First 6 GHz Mobile Services Trial
Egypt has completed Africa’s first trial of mobile services using the 6 GHz band, giving the country an opportunity to assess the spectrum for future high-capacity mobile networks. Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) conducted the trial with Telecom Egypt and Huawei as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and digital economy.
Egypt Completes Africa’s First 6 GHz Mobile Services Trial
Egypt has completed Africa’s first trial of mobile services using the 6 GHz band, giving the country an opportunity to assess the spectrum for future high-capacity mobile networks. Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) conducted the trial with Telecom Egypt and Huawei as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and digital economy. As part of the test, the partners operated what they described as Africa’s first mobile base station using the 6 GHz band and completed the first data call over the spectrum.
Data speeds reached about 1.7 Gbps per user, showing the potential for higher speeds and greater network capacity in areas with heavy data demand.
Egypt Tests 6 GHz for Future Mobile Networks
The 6 GHz band could support high-capacity mobile services and future 5G networks. Egypt is assessing how the spectrum could help meet rising demand for mobile data. NTRA said the trial forms part of its work to assess emerging technologies and improve spectrum use. The regulator also identified applications that could benefit from additional capacity, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud computing. For mobile operators, additional spectrum could help manage congestion in areas with high data usage.
6 GHz Included in Egypt’s Spectrum Plans
NTRA Executive President Eng. Mohamed Shamroukh said Egypt has identified the 6 GHz band as a strategic frequency range in its national spectrum plan for 2030–2035. NTRA is currently preparing the plan.
Shamroukh said the trial will help the regulator assess the band’s potential for high-capacity mobile services and inform future decisions on spectrum use. Egypt’s Vision 2030 agenda also includes developing digital infrastructure and strengthening the country’s position as a regional ICT hub. The next step for the telecom sector will be determining how the 6 GHz band can fit into future network plans as mobile data demand continues to rise.
