In Egypt, the Communications and Information Technology Minister, Amr Talaat, signed an agreement between Telecom Egypt, Hatif Libya, and LITC for training and building technical and administrative expertise in multiple fields.
The Libyan economy and infrastructure have been disrupted due to political unrest and war. The telecom industry with frequent reconstruction has not been beneficial due to the continued warring factions; also, primary attacks were on mobile towers. However, there has been a significant investment of nearly $10 billion until 2020 in the telecom industry in a national fiber network and upgrades in existing and international cables. There is a massive opportunity in the internet connections as the penetration is low even after the government reduced the subscription charges to half; furthermore, the mobile connection, LTE services have limited reach.
The Egyptian international cable network will be available to Libya as per an additional agreement for interconnection and development of cable services in Libya. The minister stated that the agreement forms a strong layered series of developmental phases embarking on cooperation between Egypt and Libya in information and communications technology (ICT). Also, it shows consensus for the issues discussed in the last April visit to Libya.
The Chairman of the Libya Post, Telecommunication, and Information Technology Holding Company (LPTIC), Faisel Gergab, reciprocated that the agreement will play a key role in implementing new projects in business and investments.
The agreement focuses on the digital transformation initiatives in both countries by forming an infrastructure to promote learning by the leading Egyptian experience. Also, Egyptian support plays a vital role in the agreement for government service automation projects, the commencement of smart cities in Tripoli and Benghazi, and a national data center in Libya. With the Egyptian-Libyan partnership, both countries plan to expedite the training, qualification, and capacity-building programs in the ICT Academy in Libya.
The agreement entails a joint Egyptian-Libyan investment, enabling indigenous technologies in Egypt and Libya and building a fiber-optic cable factory.
Telecom Egypt will act as a technical advisor to Hatif Libya with consultancy services offering infrastructure creation, design, planning, and operation, ensuring digital transformation in a short span. In addition, the agreement comprises several models of consulting services in project management, including advertising, accounting, commercial, legal and regulatory consultation.
