Tpay Wins NTRA License for Government Mobile Payments

tpay Mobile secured Egypt’s first NTRA license for Direct Carrier Billing, letting citizens pay utility bills and fines using mobile airtime or postpaid bills.

In Short

tpay Mobile has secured a National Telecom Regulatory Authority, NTRA, license to enable Direct Carrier Billing for government payments in Egypt.
The setup lets people pay for selected government services using mobile airtime balance or by adding the charge to a monthly phone bill.
Use cases listed include electricity and utility bills, traffic fines, and civil registry services.

What Happened

tPay said it has signed Egypt’s first licensing framework with NTRA to offer Direct Carrier Billing, DCB, for government payments. DCB is a payment method where a charge is taken from a user’s prepaid airtime balance, or it is added to a postpaid mobile bill.

The agreement was signed by Ahmed Nabil, tPay Mobile's general manager, and Mohamed Shamroukh, NTRA’s president. The company framed the move as a way to broaden digital payment access, especially for citizens who have a mobile phone but do not have a bank account or payment card.

In practice, the license is meant to support mobile-based fee collection for essential public services. tPay Mobile said this includes utilities, traffic-related payments, and civil registry services, which often require in-person visits or card and bank transfer options.

Why It Matters

Government payments are a high-frequency category, bills, renewals, and fines, and they are a key on-ramp for wider digital adoption. A licensed DCB rail can reach users who are still cash-first, but already top up airtime regularly.

The timing also fits Egypt’s wider push toward electronic payments and service digitisation. tpay pointed to financial inclusion figures showing 76.3% of Egyptian adults have active bank accounts, while mobile and mobile internet penetration is close to universal. That gap suggests DCB can still expand access for edge cases, low-income users, and people who prefer not to use cards.

For operators and government agencies, DCB can simplify collection by using an existing telecom billing relationship. It can also reduce failed payments tied to card declines or bank transfer friction, although pricing, dispute handling, and transaction limits will be key details to watch as services go live.