Vodafone Egypt (602-02)

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. In November 2007, Etisalat 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. Current handsets support up to 1.4 Mbps. 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 is the first mobile operator in Egypt to offer Downlink speeds up to 7.2 Mbps which is two times faster than 3.5G downlink speeds. It is currently available in specific locations in Cairo and outside Cairo and expected to be available where there is 3G network by the end of November 2007.

The incumbent was bought based on a consortium lead by Etisalat U.A.E. in July 2006. Joining the consortium were:

The Egyptian National Post Authority with a 20 % share,
National Bank of Egypt with a 10% share,
Al Nabodah Investment Company with a 1.5% share,
Technical Investment Company with a 1.5% share
and Commercial International Bank with a 1% share.
 

License

The bidding went up to an all-time high reaching finally LE 16.7 billion (3.1 billion US $) 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 1,700 job opportunities with hopes to reach over 3,000 employees within the next two years.

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.
 

Network name:

Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E
Operates as Vodafone (formerly Click GSM)
 

Technology:

GSM 900 / GPRS
 

Services provided:

Network and coverage:

Being the sole 3.75G network in Egypt has given Etisalat its edge in the market providing faster connection utilizing a destinguished infrastructure notably a NGN over the first IPbackbone solution in the country. Although the incumbent is still new in the market, network coverage has extended to make sure there is coverage in all major cities including Cairo, Alexandria, Zagazig, Tanta, Sharm el Sheikh, Luxor and many more. Etisalat has set a goal to reach full network coverage in all of Egypt, whether there are inhabitants in that area or not, by the end of 2008.

With 3.75G technology, subscribers can:

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.
 

General info:
The official announcement of the launch was on 30th April, 2007. A long with announcing the 3G services launch in Egypt.
Currently Etisalat has more than 3.5 million subscribers from the 27 million mobile subscribers in Egypt. This number was achieved in around 6 months since the launch.
Network code 602 03**
more info about Etisalat Egypt you can find them at their official Website http://www.etisalat.com.eg
 
 

** (602 03) formatted as (MCC MNC)