Telecoms disruptions to persist across Cairo as fire damage to main centre is repaired

The National

18 hours ago

A fire broke out on Monday evening at Ramses Central, the main telecommunications centre in Cairo, causing disruption to internet, mobile and landline services across the greater city area and parts of Giza.
Officials told The National that the fire began in a seventh-floor equipment room before spreading to other floors, trapping some employees in the building. But they were quickly rescued and no casualties have been reported.
Thirty-nine people suffered injuries in the fire, according to civil defence officials. Rescue workers suspect that a short-circuit caused the fire but a more thorough investigation is needed.
Authorities cut electricity to the building as a precaution while Civil Defence teams tried to extinguish the flames. The fire was brought under control just before midnight after burning for six hours, the officials said. Cooling operations were continuing to prevent any flare-ups.
The Ministry of Health reported 14 injuries, including to several firefighters, mainly through smoke inhalation. But this was hours before the fire was fully extinguished and more injuries were added later.
The injured, who included 10 firefighters, were taken to hospital for treatment, the ministry said.
Internet and mobile connectivity were mainly functional were slow and inconsistent for many users, with phone calls being particularly affected.
Officials told The National that the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and further disruptions are expected until a complete evaluation and repairs are carried out.
They said that repair work is under way and that damages disrupting more populous regions of Cairo will be repaired first.
ATM services and money transfer apps across Cairo have also reportedly been affected, according to widespread reports on social media, al though these issues have not been officially confirmed.
The National Telecom Regulatory Authority said technical teams are working to restore full service as quickly as possible and are assessing the effect of the fire on critical infrastructure.
Customers affected by the cuts are expected to be compensated, the authority said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian National Railways Authority announced that its nationwide ticket booking system was disrupted due to damaged internet links provided by the Egyptian Telecom Company.
Media Production City, which hosts the country's largest TV and radio stations, also issued a statement that while live TV broadcasts were not affected, communications issues had disrupted co-ordination between programme producers and their sources.
Ramses Central, built in the 1927 under the reign of King Fuad I, has served as a critical node in Egypt's telecommunications networks for nearly a century.