The Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) announced this week the establishment of a mobile phone tower manufacturing facility in Egypt at the group's Aircraft Factory.

The organisation said the centre is part of its industrialisation efforts to localise technology, increase local production rates, and manufacture what is currently imported.

General engineer Mokhtar Abdel Latif, chairman of the AOI, opened the centre in the presence of major general engineer Abdel Rahman Abdel Azim Othman, general director of the AOI, and major general engineer Tarek Abdel Fattah Mohamed Hassan, chairman of the Aircraft Factory's board of directors.

Abdel Latif emphasised the necessity of localising the technology for manufacturing mobile phone towers, saying the centre has already succeeded in producing towers with a 100% local manufacturing rate, and that it has begun fulfilling many of the towers needs of telco Etisalat Misr.

He added that the manufacturing and supply of 67 towers for Etisalat Misr was completed by the end of June under a framework agreement signed by Etisalat Misr and the Aircraft Factory.

According to Abdel Latif, production of 70 more towers for Etisalat Misr is underway, with delivery set for the end of September 2024.

Additionally, AOI said: "Coordination is currently underway to sign memorandums of understanding with Telecom Egypt and major companies operating in the field of communications in the Arab Republic of Egypt to expand the quantitative production of communication towers."

The organisation also announced that negotiations are underway to bring more telecom companies on board, including the possibility of exporting to African and Arab countries.