Telecom Egypt May Buy Vodafone Local Division When 4G Is Offered

Telecom Egypt, the country’s landline monopoly, said it may buy a controlling stake in Vodafone Group Plc.’s local mobile-phone unit when 4G spectrum is offered, to avoid a possible conflict of interests.

The Egyptian telecommunications company owns 45 percent of the unit. It has no legal obligation to sell the stake and hasn’t received an official offer before receiving an integrated license, which will allow Telecom Egypt to provide mobile services, Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Elnawawy said in an interview. The company expects 4G spectrum for faster mobile data services to be offered within 10 months to a year.