Kuwait's Zain has communicated to Egypt's telecommunications regulator its preliminary interest in obtaining a fourth-generation (4G) licence, the operator said in a bourse filing on Monday.

Zain "is studying a number of investment opportunities available in the region, one of which is the Egyptian telecommunications market as a strategic market in the Middle East and Africa", the company said, adding that it had made the approach through one of its subsidiaries.

A senior Egyptian telecommunications ministry official told Reuters on Sunday that Zain had expressed interest in applying for a 4G licence. Sales of such licences are part of the country's long-awaited plan to reform its telecommunications sector.