Ericsson’s Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Iwan Stella, has praised Egypt’s strides in 5G licensing and network trials while emphasizing the urgent need to accelerate spectrum allocation and boost adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to unlock 5G’s full potential.
In an interview with Daily News Egypt, Stella underscored the importance of securing more mid- and low-band spectrum to ensure reliable indoor coverage and scalable fixed wireless access (FWA), critical for Egypt’s expanding urban and industrial sectors. He highlighted that low-latency connections essential for industry can only be delivered with adequate spectrum availability aligned to Egypt Vision 2030’s phased rollout strategy.
While Egypt’s digital infrastructure—including backhaul fiber and upgraded power systems—is largely ready for 5G, Stella noted that clear timelines for spectrum release, especially contiguous mid-band frequencies, are vital for operators to finalize network plans and accelerate deployment.
To drive SME adoption, Ericsson advocates “try-and-buy” and software-as-a-service models offering tiered connectivity options, enabling businesses to scale services from basic to advanced low-latency solutions. Egypt’s regulatory momentum and digital maturity are seen as regional differentiators, with Ericsson deploying dual-band 5G complemented by AI-powered network optimization managed via its Cairo Analytics Hub.
Stella called for transparent spectrum planning, strong cybersecurity, and incentives for energy-efficient technologies to ensure sustainable 5G rollout. He stressed the need to encourage migration from legacy networks to 5G-enabled devices, noting that faster adoption will accelerate returns on investment.
Despite SME cost concerns, innovations like network slicing and edge computing offer affordable pathways to private 5G capabilities without heavy upfront costs. Stella envisions Egypt as a future regional hub for 5G innovation, attracting R&D, cloud providers, and IoT manufacturers through its infrastructure, skilled workforce, and stable policies.
