The quarterly report of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology showed an increase in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter (Q4) of last year compared to Q3 of the same year.
The sector’s GDP is estimated at EGP 15.75bn inQ4 of 2016 compared to EGP 14.29bn in Q3 of the same year—an increase of EGP 1.4bn.
The contribution of the ICT sector to the country’s GDP reached 3.19% during Q4, compared to 3% in Q3 of 2016.
The report also revealed a severe decline in the prices of mobile internet services during Q4 2016 compared to Q3 of the same year.
The average cost of mobile services fell from $2.4 in Q3 of 2016 to $1.7 in Q4, while the average cost of fixed-line internet services declined from $5.6 in Q3 to $3.8 in Q4 of 2016.
The average cost of fixed-line phone services also fell from $1.83 in Q3 to $1.2 in Q4 last year.
According to the report, the average cost of a mobile phone service is calculated according to the prepaid price for 30 calls per month via the same mobile network, other mobile networks, and land-line networks during peak hours, other times, and weekends, in addition to 100 text messages.
The prices of the ADSL are calculated on the basis of the lowest price of monthly subscription paid to the internet provider company that has the largest share of the local market.
