ICT & Innovation
From The Report: Egypt 2020
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Economic diversification has been a boon to Egypt’s digital transformation in recent years. The government aims to develop the country into a regional and global centre for ICT, and efforts are being made to strengthen the regulatory framework, reduce the risk of cyberthreats and expand the telecommunications network. In particular, the rollout of 4G has led to a rise in data consumption and provided an opportunity for operators to develop new products. The introduction of 5G in the coming years will continue this trend and is set to play a key role in the country’s future, especially as it opens the New Administrative Capital, Egypt’s first smart city. Meanwhile, the start-up ecosystem is increasingly dynamic, supported by initiatives aimed at widening access to financing. The Covid-19 pandemic has made the sector even more central to economic development, with the impact of the virus accelerating the digitalisation of government entities and businesses. This chapter contains an interview with Adel Hamed, CEO, Telecom Egypt.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Mobile connection: New legislation and continuing investment in communications infrastructure set to further aid the digital transformation
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Economic diversification efforts have been a boon to Egypt’s digital transformation. The government is aiming to develop the country into a telecoms and tech centre on both a regional and global scale, guided by its ICT 2030 Strategy. Efforts are being made to strengthen the regulatory framework, including by addressing cyberthreats, while the rollout of 4G since 2017 has created opportunities for innovative service providers in the highly competitive telecoms market. Additionally, the…

Interview

Digital empowerment: Adel Hamed, CEO, Telecom Egypt, on growing opportunities for telecoms operators amid Covid-19 and the government’s efforts to boost digitalisation
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Interview:Adel Hamed How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected company digitalisation initiatives in Egypt? ADEL HAMED: Covid-19 has upended the Egyptian market, catalysing the need for digitalisation in business. Around the globe, government restrictions to ensure social distancing have hindered multiple business processes. However, in their bid to increase productivity, many companies have adopted remote-work policies using various video-conferencing applications operated through reliable…

Analysis

Source of wealth: Business process outsourcing firms are attracted to the educated workforce and strong IT infrastructure
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Drawing on its location between Europe, the Middle East and Africa; its youthful, educated, tech-savvy and multi-lingual population; and strong IT infrastructure, Egypt has become a destination for business process outsourcing (BPO). The budding segment has been supported by the government, which offers financial incentives to outsourcing companies, and has invested in the necessary telecommunications infrastructure upgrades to support BPO, such as 4G and fibre-optic cable networks. Workforce The…

Analysis

Going digital: Government services are shifting online to boost efficiency
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As part of Egypt’s digital transformation, the country is working to digitalise government services and train Egyptian youth in technology and other specialisations to ensure the country has a qualified workforce to meet the shifting demands of employers. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has sought to create a digital government through the transformation of service administration, the modernisation of IT infrastructure, and the creation of a strong legislative…

Overview

Infinite potential: Emerging markets are beginning to unlock the wide-ranging benefits of artificial intelligence
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The development of artificial intelligence (AI) – a term that was originally coined in 1955 to describe a nascent sub-discipline of computer science – is anticipated to reshape economies around the world over the coming decades. AI refers to a set of technologies and tools that allow users to make better decisions through algorithms, using information that is recorded en masse to predict outcomes. AI offers significant analysis, innovation, creation and prediction opportunities – with virtually infinite potential. In 2018 global consultancy McKinsey estimated that AI analytical techniques could add between $9.5trn and $15.4trn in…