Cairo: Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly on Sunday directed the finalization of telecommunications infrastructure projects, focusing on villages in the first phase of the "Decent Life" presidential initiative. He stressed the importance of continued coordination between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and relevant bodies to upgrade citizen services.

According to State Information Service Egypt, he made these remarks during a meeting held to review the implementation rate of a number of projects in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The meeting was attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi, a representative of the Armed Forces Signal Department, Executive President of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) Mohamed Shamroukh, and officials from the ministries and relevant bodies.

During the meeting, Hindi reviewed the ministry's efforts to upgrade Egypt's digital infrastructure, describing it as a key pillar for building an integrated digital society, enabling digital transformation, enhancing the competitiveness of the ICT sector, attracting more investment, improving the quality of telecommunications and internet services, and ensuring their efficient delivery to citizens nationwide.

He said that the ministry is keen on implementing a comprehensive plan to improve fixed and mobile internet services through several parallel tracks. This includes expanding the nationwide fiber-optic network, replacing copper cables with fiber-optic cables, rolling out fifth-generation (5G) services, and increasing the number of mobile telecommunications towers across the country.

Hindi added that fiber-optic cables have been extended to more than 1,250 villages under the "Decent Life" high-speed internet initiative, enabling residents to access digital services.

The meeting reviewed the ministry's efforts to provide the advanced digital infrastructure needed to support the development of smart applications and solutions based on artificial intelligence technologies, with the aim of maximizing their developmental impact and expanding their societal benefits.

Hindi reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to attracting and stimulating investment in cloud computing and artificial intelligence while expanding the construction of hyperscale data centers, describing them as the backbone and key enabler of the digital economy and a foundation for supporting advanced technology applications.