5G licenses for all: The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) inked USD 450 mn worth of agreements granting 5G service licenses to Vodafone Egypt, Orange Egypt, and e& Egypt, according to a statement.

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And then there were four: The companies that secured the USD 150-mn licenses will join Telecom Egypt, which secured its license at the start of the year. Overall, Egypt secured a total of USD 600 mn from 5G licenses. Payment is due in USD within the coming 90 days, NTRA Head Mohamed Shamroukh told Al Arabiya.

We’re nearing the launch of the service: Mobile operators will kick off trial operations in three months and officially launch 5G services within six months, Shamroukh added. Telecom Egypt announced that it would launch pilot operations earlier this year and that it aimed to roll out its 5G services by the end of the year.

Why this matters: 5G can deliver speeds up to 100x faster than 4G with ultra-low latency that could allow everything from remote surgeries to super-fast downloads and a “true” internet of things. It’s slowly rolling out in developed markets, and when it works (and it’s not chewing up your battery), it will be a game changer.

That’s not all: NTRA and Telecom Egypt inked the specifications and controls for launching 5G services. The nation’s telecom services providers inked 15-year agreements — worth a combined USD 75 mn — renewing their licenses for previous generations without receiving new frequencies.

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