Egypt does not proceed with third network of portable phones

Egypt refused to establish a third network for portable telephones after selling the first network, which was owned by the government, to the private sector and allowing foreign and Egyptian companies to establish a second network.

Soliman Metwali, the Egyptian minister of transportation, on Thursday told ArabicNews.com that, "Egypt does not need to establish a third net because the current two nets will cover all of Egypt and they provide many lines that exceed the participants' demands, therefore there is no need to establish a third net."

Egypt sold two months ago the government-owned network to a group of foreign and Egyptian investors, as well as giving a license to another group to establish the second network in order to provide for competition between the two nets.