Egypt-Made Mobile Phone Sales Fall 20% as Prices Rise

Sales of Egyptian-made mobile phones have fallen by around 20% since the start of 2026, alongside lower-than-targeted production and sharp increases in retail prices, according to Mohamed Talaat, head of the Telecommunications and Mobile Phones Division at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce.

Talaat said local production has reached around 10 million devices so far this year, compared with a target of 15 million. He attributed the slowdown partly to shortages of mobile RAM and internal storage chips, as global manufacturers redirect capacity towards components used in artificial intelligence applications.

Prices for locally manufactured phones have risen by around 55% overall in 2026, with increases of between 5% and 7% occurring every 10 to 15 days since the start of the year, according to Talaat. The cheapest locally made phone now costs around EGP 7,000, up from EGP 4,500 at the beginning of 2026, while higher-end locally made models can reach EGP 60,000. Imported devices, which face customs duties of around 38.5% to 40%, can cost up to EGP 100,000.

Egypt produced 10 million mobile devices in 2025, up from 3.3 million in 2024. Mobile subscriptions meanwhile reached 127.89 million by the end of June 2026, up 10.4% year-on-year, as operators continue investing in 5G infrastructure and the government expands spectrum capacity, mobile towers and fibre-optic networks.