By : Mohamed Shawky
Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has awarded Fixed Misr and El-Delta Electronic Systems licenses to provide digital signature services, after receiving the highest scores in the overall evaluation of submitted offers.
ITIDA’s CEO, Engineer Amr Mahfouz commented: “Eight companies submitted bids for licenses to provide digital signature services, 4 of which were accepted based on technical and financial proposal evaluation separately, while the other 4 companies were turned down for not obtaining at least 75% of the grades, per the statement of work and the technical requirements”.
Mahfouz added: “ITIDA’s Board of Directors has made the decision to grant the licenses to two companies with the highest scores catering to market needs with the availability of five services providers, and according to the study ITIDA is currently doing to apply the latest digital signature technologies and in Egypt.
ITIDA’s decision to grant new digital signature licenses is part and parcel of the huge development witnessed in the IT sector in Egypt, as it comes to support digital transformation efforts and to accelerate MCIT's Digital Egypt strategy.
Additionally, the digital signature aims to link government services to the private and civil sectors, which requires the expansion of digital signature adoption across Egypt.
Mahfouz explained that the duration of the license is 3 years, to start from the date of the operation permit and the issuance of the license from the Egyptian Root Certificate Authority (Root CA), subject to renewal for another similar period or periods, per the decision of ITIDA.
Hazem Saafan, Managing Director of El-Delta Electronic Systems, said that the company is more than ready to implement its business plans as per the schedule set by ITIDA, to guarantee the success of all aspects of the digital signature system, including management, operations, maintenance, and follow-up services.
“El-Delta applies international standards of information security and services quality in cooperation with global consultants, and through our partnership with Telecom Egypt to achieve the extensive outreach, and ensure the highest quality provided to citizens”
“We have successful experience in implementing DX projects such as the Automation of Electronic Tax Invoice System, e-Examinations applied in the Egyptian universities, and the infrastructure upgrade in university hospitals.", Saafan added.
For his part, Mahmoud Ahmed, Managing, Director of Fixed Misr, expressed his enthusiasm for gaining the license and his confidence in his company's capabilities to carry out any technical, and operational commitment. He added that the company excels in providing high levels of service to both individuals and businesses, through a huge network of service outlets thanks to its partnership with Etisalat Misr.
“Fixed Misr has a proven track record in implementing a series of high-tech projects, in addition to its contribution in Egypt’s digital transformation through the implementation of Digital Egypt platform, the Electricity smart services platform, in addition to many other national DX projects.” Mahmoud added.
Last February, ITIDA had announced the new licenses would be awarded to companies to provide digital signature certificates, e-seal, and time stamp services for both individuals and businesses.
The digital signature law, issued in 2004 and upon which ITIDA was established, supports Egypt’s e-commerce industry by securing the internet as a legally viable medium for digital transactions and aims to support digital transformation in all state sectors.
The executive regulations of the digital signature law have been amended under the decision of the Minister of communications and information technology No. 361 of 2020, to accelerate Egypt’s digital transformation adoption; and the central role of digital signature in developing the efficiency of administrative work; and improving the government services, and adding to Egypt’s competitiveness globally.
