Raya studying bid for Egypt fixed-line licence

STUDYING BID: Raya is mulling bid for Egypt's second fixed-line licence. (Getty Images)

Egypt's Raya Technology and Communication said on Sunday it is studying bidding for the second fixed-line licence in the country through an alliance with an international operator.

Company chairman Medhat Khalil told newswire Reuters Raya was waiting for the announcement of the licence conditions.

"Many elements will determine if we are really going to take that step, for example if the licence will include international calls or not," he said.

Khalil denied press reports that his company had already agreed to an alliance with British Telecom (BT).

"We are talking to several international players but we have not concluded any agreements yet," he said.

Minister of communications Tarek Kamel said in late June Egypt would offer a licence to operate a second fixed-line network during 2008, ending years of monopoly by state-dominated Telecom Egypt.

Orascom Telecom, Etisalat Egypt and the Egyptian Post have all said they would bid for the licence.

The second fixed-line network, which would compete with that of Telecom Egypt, would start operating in early 2009.

Raya, which operates in the mobile phone distribution, IT services and call centres businesses, posted a 13% rise in net profit in the first nine months of 2007 to 75.2 million Egyptian pounds ($13.57 million).

Shares in the firm were 0.2% up at 13.25 pounds by 0949 GMT. (Reuters)

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