A report prepared by the House's Telecommunications and Information Technology Committee said the changes to the law would ban the import, manufacturing, assembly, possession, use, operation, installation or marketing of any telecom equipment that is considered a threat to national security.
According to the report, the move comes to fight the growing phenomenon of citizens possessing, using and operating equipment considered a threat to national security.
"The bill comes to help preserve the country's cyber security as part of national and economic security," said the report.
Amendments state that violators implicated in importing, manufacturing, assembling and marketing any telecom equipment without getting a prior license from the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) shall face imprisonment from one to five years, as well as a fine of EGP 2 to 5 million.
Those convicted of possessing, installing, operating or using any telecom equipment without obtaining a prior license from NTRA shall face imprisonment and a fine between EGP 100,000 and 200,000.
The Senate's deputy speaker Phoebe Fawzi said "there has been a lot of chaos on the telecom market in recent years, leading some to use equipment in getting information that is really considered a threat to national security and a big danger to personal and social lives of citizens."
"Some of this equipment poses a threat to social and religious traditions and values, and so the changes to the telecom law come to fight this bad phenomenon and tighten control on the telecom equipment market," said Fawzi.
The Senate's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee Mohamed Shawki said rapid developments on the telecom market have made it a necessity to draft the new legislation.
"There are rapid developments on the telecom market and so it is important that the law regulating this sector be updated to impose control and stand up to chaos," said Shawki, adding that "the amendments also come to stem the growing phenomenon of citizens possessing, operating and installing telecom equipment without getting the necessary licensing from NTRA and other concerned authorities."
Wafdist senator Hani Sarrieddin was the only member who rejected the amendments, arguing that "some of the bill's articles are vague and have not even specified what types of telecom equipment would be banned by the legislation."
The amendments will be referred to the House of Representatives to be finally discussed and passed.
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