One of the greatest advantages offered by the recent technological boom is heightened transparency and accurate information, which previously would have gotten lost amidst archived files and the shelves of ministries and public authorities.
Unfortunately, as the Ramses telecommunications building fire broke out, information and transparency became its primary victims.
We saw conflicting, incomplete statements regarding just exactly how important the Ramses central building to the telecommunications and internet sector. Was it the heart of the sector, damage to which would cause the entire system to collapse or be severely harmed? Or was it just one of many communication hubs, meaning the fire would have little impact?
Communications officials asserted that, despite its importance, the Ramses telecommunications building was only one of four or five other major hubs.
However, the subsequent collapse of communications and internet services by no less than 70 percent – as experts indicated – betrays a lack of transparency by downplaying just how central the Ramses telecommunications building truly is, with the aim seemingly being only reassurance.
Furthermore, the repeated claims about the fire being controlled and services returning to normal on Tuesday, July 8th simply did not happen.
The fire reignited, and a significant portion of communications and internet were still disrupted.
The Minister of Communications even stated before parliament that the internet was operating efficiently before the fire and that its efficiency increased during the fire, despite the building’s collapse.
He cited social media discussions during the incident, involving hundreds of thousands of users, as proof.
Does the minister know that home internet service for some telecommunication companies was still cut off as of yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon? Numerous international reports indicated that internet connectivity in Egypt on Tuesday—the day after the incident—remained weak, with national connectivity at only 44 percent of normal levels, impacting banking services, mobile payments, and online commerce.
The very moment a telecommunications official claimed there were no issues with a specific service, the public was suffering from its outage. And while the Ministry of Communications prioritized securing services for banks and corporations, ordinary subscribers did not receive the necessary attention.
It’s true that restoring services for banks and companies benefits the economy, but in return, individual users found themselves without home internet and unable to make calls to subscribers on certain networks.
What is more disheartening is that some of these companies didn’t even bother to apologize. Instead, they shut down their phone lines, refusing to take inquiries.
These are the same companies that offer subscribers no recourse, neither right nor wrong, when they call to complain about poor service or arbitrary billing.
The foregoing is not meant to diminish a sector that has achieved significant milestones in recent years and brought about a major transformation in Egyptian life.
It is indeed full of promise, capable of leading the Egyptian economy towards growth and progress.
However, it’s crucial for those in charge to recognize that the information and communication technology revolution has introduced new values, primarily the availability of accurate information and data.
It has empowered users to complain, hold those responsible accountable, and even impose consequences.
Therefore, it is simply unacceptable, especially as we talk about 2025 being the year of the 5G technology rollout, for us to continue operating in the old way— one that conceals more than it reveals, and treats the user much like a salesperson years ago would pick out a product for a customer, preventing them from even inspecting it before buying.
Author’s bio
Abdel Allah Abdel Salam is the managing editor at Al-Ahram newspaper where he writes a daily column titled “New Horizon”. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University (1987).
He began his journalistic career at Al-Wafd newspaper, then moved to the Middle East News Agency, before settling at Al-Ahram newspaper in June 1991. He founded the Al-Ahram electronic portal and served as its editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2013.
He held the position of executive editor-in-chief of the Al-Masry Al-Youm website in 2013.
Salam has also worked as managing editor of the Al Ain (UAE) portal in 2016, and managing editor of the “Al-Watan” (Egyptian) newspaper’s website in 2017.
