International calls to Egypt, VoIP traffic included, must enter through a licensed international gateway, historically operated by Telecom Egypt, before reaching the four mobile networks: Vodafone, Orange, e& (Etisalat) and WE. Egyptian law makes bypassing the gateway a criminal offence, so buyers should choose routes that land on the licensed path and ask for breakouts per operator.
Rules last checked: October 2026.
Regulator and operators
The regulator is the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), which applies the Telecommunications Regulation Law of 2003. Egypt has four mobile operators:
| Operator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Vodafone Egypt | The largest mobile network |
| Orange Egypt | Mobile network |
| e& (Etisalat Misr) | Mobile network |
| WE | The mobile brand of Telecom Egypt, which also runs the fixed network |
Mobile numbers start with 10, 11, 12 or 15 after the country code 20. Mobile is where most international traffic ends, while fixed lines, mostly run by Telecom Egypt, matter for business and government numbers. Egypt has mobile number portability, so a prefix does not always identify the current network; see mobile number portability and call routing.
The international gateway
Telecom Egypt held the exclusive right to international transmission until the end of 2005; after that, international services required an NTRA licence. In 2016 the NTRA offered international gateway licences to the mobile operators as part of a wider licensing package, but Telecom Egypt has remained central to international traffic: mobile operators such as Orange Egypt have signed multi-year agreements with it for international services. In practice, a legal call to Egypt reaches the destination network through a licensed gateway and an interconnect agreement.
What this means for buyers:
- Ask whether the route lands on a licensed gateway directly or through transit carriers.
- Ask for separate prices for Vodafone, Orange, e&, WE and fixed. See VoIP breakouts.
- Expect differences in quality between operators on the same route, and test each one.
Bypass and VoIP rules
Article 21 of the 2003 law prohibits running telecom services or "bypassing" international calls without an NTRA licence, and Article 72 sets the penalties, which include prison terms and fines. The NTRA has long treated unlicensed international VoIP as a bypass of the legal gateway. Its handling of calling apps has changed over the years, and their availability has varied by network and period.
For buyers, the risk is the usual one with bypass: routes that terminate international calls through local SIM cards or unlicensed gateways are cheap but unstable, often deliver a random local number instead of your CLI, and can disappear without warning. See SIM box bypass fraud.
What buyers usually ask for
- CLI routes for diaspora, business and support calls, checked with a CLI delivery test. Non-CLI is an option only where the caller ID does not matter; see CLI vs non-CLI routes.
- Operator breakouts, with Vodafone usually the largest share of mobile traffic.
- A declared traffic type: conversational, call center or dialer, because not every route accepts every type.
- Realistic quality numbers: stable ASR and an ACD that fits your traffic. Very short calls on a cheap route are a warning sign; see short duration calls.
What drives the price
Price depends on the gateway and interconnect costs, the terminating operator, how many carriers sit between you and the gateway, the CLI type and the billing increment. Changes in the Egyptian pound do not reset international wholesale prices directly, but they affect the gap between international and local call costs, which is what makes bypass attractive. More in what drives VoIP termination prices.
Getting a route
See the Egypt VoIP termination page and, for messaging, A2P SMS to Egypt with the Egypt sender ID rules. Tell us the operators, CLI type, traffic type and volume, and we source and manage the route through our VoIP termination service. Request an Egypt voice route.
Frequently asked questions
Is VoIP banned in Egypt?
Unlicensed international VoIP is treated by the NTRA as a bypass of the legal gateway, and Article 21 of the 2003 Telecommunications Regulation Law prohibits bypassing international calls without a licence, with penalties under Article 72. The handling of calling apps has changed over the years and varied by network. Licensed termination through the gateway is legal.
Can a call center send VoIP traffic to Egypt?
Yes, by buying international termination from carriers whose routes land on the licensed gateway path. What is illegal is terminating international calls through local SIM cards or unlicensed gateways. Declare call center or dialer traffic in your route request, because not every route accepts it, and ask for operator breakouts.
Who are the mobile operators in Egypt?
There are four: Vodafone Egypt, the largest, Orange Egypt, e& (Etisalat Misr) and WE, the mobile brand of Telecom Egypt, which also runs the fixed network. Mobile numbers start with 10, 11, 12 or 15 after the country code 20. Egypt has number portability, so prefixes do not always show the current network.
Why are cheap routes to Egypt risky?
Legitimate routes must cover gateway and interconnect costs that local calls do not, and swings in the Egyptian pound widen the gap between international and local call prices. That gap is what makes bypass attractive. Very cheap offers often terminate through local SIM cards, which bring a random local CLI, unstable quality and sudden outages.
Need a route?
Send the destination, route type and target rate. We reply with what we can deliver.