Telecom Egypt, Nokia, and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding before Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly during the Egypt-EU Investment Conference in Cairo.
Nokia hopes to strengthen its position in the Egyptian market through this deal and increase its innovation and service export capacity. The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Amr Talaat, was also at the signing event.
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Egypt’s Path to Becoming an IT Services Hub
Egypt is strategically positioned as a location for IT services through the establishment of an IP Excellence Centre. This collaboration is central to this. The Centre will start by serving about 60 countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). It will then grow to include Europe and other places, significantly increasing Egypt’s ICT services exports.
Some of Egypt’s best engineers will run the Centre and work on automating IP networks, improving artificial intelligence (AI), and making software for Nokia’s SR Linux network operating system.
Nokia’s rising presence in Egypt, especially in areas dependent on exports, sends a clear message: our ICT sector is a magnet for global investment. This shows that our ICT sector is appealing to investors worldwide. With its trained workers and track record, Egypt is quickly becoming a top choice for companies like Nokia that want to grow their global delivery operations.
This innovative partnership between the government and the private sector will boost new ideas, skill development, and network automation studies. This will make Egypt even more of a global hub for IT services. Another thing it will do is help Egypt’s digital products grow. In 2023, they were worth $6.2 billion.
The partnership aligns with Egypt’s Digital Egypt Offshoring Strategy and aims to boost digital exports and create jobs for young Egyptians. Ahmed ELZaher, CEO of ITIDA, stressed how important this partnership is for developing Egypt’s digital ecosystem and offshoring exports.
This MoU gives our engineers access to cutting-edge technologies, putting Egypt at the head of the digital future and making it easier for us to outsource work. Not only will Nokia use Egypt as a regional hub for automating IP networks and moving on to AI and software development, but the company will also teach local workers how to set up and handle advanced network technologies.
Nokia wants to hire and train Egyptian engineers as part of the MoU. This will help the company hire more people in Automation Solutions Architecture, DevOps, and Data Science. They will be essential to the IP Excellence Centre in Egypt.
Our three-decade relationship with Egypt reached a milestone with the IP Excellence Centre, which will boost Egypt’s digital infrastructure. It will let us use local talent to meet ME corporations’ changing needs. The selected engineers will also receive cutting-edge IP technology training and join Nokia’s top worldwide team.
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Skills Development and Growth in Egypt’s Telecoms Industry
Mohamed Nasr Eldin, Telecom Egypt’s Managing Director and CEO, said the partners’ collaboration will boost skills and the telecoms industry.
ITIDA, Telecom Egypt, and Nokia’s partnership to construct Egypt’s IP Excellence Centre is exciting. Network automation is the future, and cooperating with Nokia will help Egypt grow in the digital ecosystem. We are excited to collaborate with ITIDA and Nokia on this vital project to boost offshoring and ICT services exports.
The Nokia offshoring capabilities and Telecom Egypt engineers will benefit from a joint Nokia/TE lab for hands-on field training. Telecom Egypt will select local engineers to be taught and certified by Nokia on sophisticated IP technologies each year, boosting local talent.
ITIDA, Telecom Egypt, and Nokia can promote network automation innovation, skills development, and research by building the IP Excellence Centre while thriving in Egypt’s outsourcing sector. The Centre will foster knowledge sharing and equip local talent to deploy and operate innovative network technologies, enhancing Egypt’s ICT services exports.