Telecom Egypt has deployed a new multi-service network in the region of Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city. The network provides both traditional narrowband services such as wireline telephony, as well as broadband services for faster internet communication.
Egypt has been at the forefront of internet growth in North Africa. Internet services have been available since 1993 and the government has placed almost no restrictions on content. Its strong commitment to IT and telecommunications has led to Egypt becoming the main telecom hub in the region
More and more internet and data communications companies are emerging and Egypt produces about 85 percent of Arabic internet content. As access to online data and communications has become more widespread, Telecom Egypt chose the ENGINE solution to handle its future capacity requirements and enable it to introduce new data services.
The new network makes use of advanced multi-service network technology using softswitch and Ericsson is the first vendor to supply class-five services to Telecom Egypt. Dawlat al-Badawi, deputy chairman for planning at Telecom Egypt, says: "Telecom Egypt was offered a very competitive solution that has been implemented in record time."
Using layered architecture, the Ericsson ENGINE Integral Network is connected directly to the Ericsson ENGINE Access Ramp, without needing a local exchange for connecting access nodes. This concept reduces capital expenditure and enables faster deployment of the network.
Johan Lallerstedt, head of Market Unit Northern Africa and president of Ericsson Egypt, says Ericsson has a close working relationship with the operator. "This contract further strengthens our relationship with Telecom Egypt and confirms our position in the market," he says.
Telecom Egypt is the only wireline operator in Egypt and has more than 10 million fixed subscriber lines, which represents 14 percent penetration. Ericsson has been a partner for more than 45 years and has supplied solutions for switching, microwave and transmission.
Al-Badawi says the latest ENGINE contract confirms Telecom Egypt's strategic relationship with Ericsson. "Ericsson is one of the leaders in the softswitch market and we foresee extensive use of its experience and telecommunications infrastructure," she says.
