Egypt has been recognized for its exceptional internet services, winning the award for the fastest fixed internet in Africa in 2024, presented by Ookla, a global leader in internet speed testing. The award was received by Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, during a ceremony at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 being held in Barcelona, Spain.
In his remarks, Talaat highlighted the significance of reliable telecommunications and internet services as vital components of Egypt’s digital strategy and the foundation for building a robust digital economy. He emphasized ongoing efforts to enhance the digital infrastructure across the nation, aimed at improving the quality of telecommunications services offered to citizens.
Moreover, Talaat announced the implementation of a project to replace copper cables with fiber optic networks in the “Haya Karima” villages of rural Egypt, which will provide high-speed internet access to approximately 60 million people across around 4,500 villages. He noted that investments totaling $3.5 billion in digital infrastructure have resulted in a remarkable increase in average fixed internet speeds, rising from 5.4 Mbps in December 2017 to 80.3 Mbps in January 2025. This progress has established Egypt as a leader in fixed internet speed in Africa for over three consecutive years.
The award ceremony was attended by Stephen Bye, President and CEO of Ookla, and other company executives, as well as Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt.
Following the award ceremony, Talaat engaged in fruitful discussions with leaders of major global telecommunications and technology companies. He met with Hiko Meyer, Executive Vice President of the cloud services provider Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), to explore collaboration opportunities in artificial intelligence, startup support, and digital capability development. They discussed enhancing partnerships between HPE, the Applied Innovation Center, and Egypt University for Informatics in research and development.
Talaat also held a meeting with Roni Vashisht, Executive Vice President of multinational technology company NVIDIA, to discuss potential collaboration in capacity building for artificial intelligence (AI) training programs.
As part of his visit to MWC 2025, Talaat met with various other international representatives to foster cooperation in telecommunications and technology, further solidifying Egypt’s position as a key player in the global digital landscape.
This recognition and ongoing initiatives reflect Egypt’s commitment to enhancing digital infrastructure and providing high-quality internet services, paving the way for a more connected and technologically advanced future.
