Photos: A blaze at Cairo telecommunications building causes service disruptions
Damages to the telecommunications building are currently being assessed. Preliminary inspections indicate the fire originated on the seventh floor in the administrative offices, though the cause remains unknown, according to the sources.
'Besides phone calls, some digital banking services were also impacted including credit cards, ATM machines and online transactions,' Reuters reported.
Civil defense dispatched several fire trucks to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings. Officials confirmed that necessary measures are being taken to quickly restore mobile communication and internet services.
Electricity was cut off in the immediate vicinity as a precautionary measure. Ambulances were on standby, and police regulated traffic and kept citizens away from the scene to facilitate firefighting efforts.
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Daily News Egypt
7 hours ago
- Daily News Egypt
Egyptian authorities race to contain fallout from fatal telecom fire
Egyptian authorities on Tuesday raced to contain the fallout from a fatal fire at a key Cairo telecommunications hub, suspending the stock market, doubling cash withdrawal limits, and working to reroute disrupted internet and phone services. The response came after a blaze late on Monday at the Ramses Central building killed four workers and injured at least 22 others, triggering a nationwide disruption of critical services. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat said on Tuesday that all telecommunication services would be gradually restored within 24 hours by redirecting traffic through alternative exchanges. 'The Ramses Central will remain out of service for several days,' Talaat said, adding that affected users would be compensated. He stressed that emergency services and other essential systems were operating normally in most areas. To mitigate the economic impact, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) took proactive measures, temporarily raising the daily cash withdrawal limit for individuals and companies to EGP 500,000 ($10,400) from EGP 250,000 to facilitate transactions amid the disruption. The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) suspended all trading for the day, calling it a necessary step to 'uphold market integrity and investor confidence' after technical and operational challenges made it impossible to ensure fair and orderly trading. Other government bodies also moved to ensure the continuity of essential services. The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade confirmed that the distribution of subsidised bread was proceeding without interruption. Minister Sherif Farouk explained that the system's resilience was due to dispensing machines being equipped with multiple SIM cards, allowing them to switch between mobile networks. At Cairo International Airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that operations had returned to normal after initial disruptions. It said alternative solutions were implemented to restore the operating system across all terminals, allowing affected flights to take off. State-owned operator Telecom Egypt, which runs the Ramses exchange, issued a statement mourning the four employees who died in the blaze, calling them 'martyrs of duty.' 'With heavy hearts, Telecom Egypt mourns the heroes who demonstrated the highest levels of dedication and sacrifice, remaining at their posts until the final moments to protect telecom infrastructure and serve the nation,' the statement read. The victims died from smoke inhalation after being trapped inside the building, authorities said. As of Tuesday evening, civil defence teams were still conducting cooling operations at the site while an investigation into the cause of the fire got underway.
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Egypt Independent
Photos: A blaze at Cairo telecommunications building causes service disruptions
A fire at the Ramses switchboard of the Telecom Egypt company in downtown Cairo has impacted mobile telecommunication and internet services in the surrounding areas, Sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. Damages to the telecommunications building are currently being assessed. Preliminary inspections indicate the fire originated on the seventh floor in the administrative offices, though the cause remains unknown, according to the sources. 'Besides phone calls, some digital banking services were also impacted including credit cards, ATM machines and online transactions,' Reuters reported. Civil defense dispatched several fire trucks to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings. Officials confirmed that necessary measures are being taken to quickly restore mobile communication and internet services. Electricity was cut off in the immediate vicinity as a precautionary measure. Ambulances were on standby, and police regulated traffic and kept citizens away from the scene to facilitate firefighting efforts.
Daily News Egypt
a day ago
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt urges auto manufacturers to boost local value-added under revised industry programme
Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, held on Monday an extensive meeting with automotive manufacturers operating in Egypt to review recent amendments to the National Automotive Industry Development Programme (AIDP). Attending the meeting were the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, senior officials from the Ministry of Finance—including the Deputy Minister for Tax Policies—the heads of the Egyptian Tax and Customs Authorities, and members of the programme's technical committee, alongside representatives from the Ministries of Industry, Investment, Foreign Trade, and Finance. Opening the meeting, Al-Wazir stressed that the updated programme is designed to provide meaningful incentives to manufacturers and ensure long-term sustainability by adopting a practical and realistic approach. He emphasised the need to enhance local manufacturing to scale up production and fully utilise existing industrial capacities and resources. The amendments were approved by the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development and the Supreme Council for the Automotive Industry, chaired by the Prime Minister, and were subsequently ratified by the Cabinet. Al-Wazir affirmed the state's readiness to support automakers in developing this strategic sector for mutual benefit. He also announced the conclusion of the transitional period on 30 June and instructed the Ministry of Finance to start disbursing entitlements to companies registered under the programme. The revised AIDP officially took effect on 1 July. The meeting reviewed the criteria for joining the updated incentive scheme, including increasing local value-added, expanding production volumes, attracting new investments, meeting environmental standards, and supporting development in priority regions. To qualify, manufacturers must produce at least 10,000 fossil-fuel vehicles annually, with a minimum of 5,000 units per model and local content starting at 20%, subject to biennial review. For electric vehicles, initial production must be at least 1,000 units, increasing to 7,000 by the end of the programme, with a starting local content of 10%, reviewed annually. Electric vehicles will receive 50% of the incentives linked to value-added and production volume and full incentives for new investment and environmental compliance. The maximum eligible car price is EGP 1.25m, with an engine size limit of 1600cc. Incentives are capped at 30% of the ex-factory price, up to EGP 150,000 per vehicle. Gas-powered vehicles must receive environmental compliance certification from an entity affiliated with the Ministry of Petroleum. To count as local content, at least 25% of the value must derive from genuine manufacturing or locally sourced components—not mere assembly. Both production and local content targets will rise over the programme's seven-year span. Incentives will be partially reduced if targets are missed, while manufacturers exceeding 35% local content will receive an additional EGP 5,000 for every 1% increase, beyond the capped amount. In priority development zones, companies producing over 100,000 fossil-fuel vehicles or 10,000 electric vehicles will be eligible for land cost reimbursement. These benefits complement existing customs and tax incentives granted under multiple legislations, including those governing customs duties, special economic zones, SMEs, VAT, property tax, and investment. Exporting companies may also benefit, as incentives are calculated based on total production, regardless of market destination. Additional bonuses will be awarded to firms that exceed programme targets. The new incentive calculation methodology, including examples, was explained during the meeting. Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib reiterated that the revised programme aims to establish a genuine automotive manufacturing base in Egypt. He pointed to the country's competitive advantages and said the amendments reflect the government's ambition to scale up both vehicle and component production. The Deputy Minister of Finance clarified that the incentives would be applied through a tax and customs offset mechanism, allowing manufacturers to use earned entitlements to settle dues, thereby streamlining the process. Some component producers called for strengthening the local supply chain—particularly for steel and panel materials used in car bodies—to reduce reliance on imports. In response, Al-Wazir directed that all producers of these materials be invited free of charge to a reverse exhibition to be held alongside the upcoming Industry and Transport Exhibition, which will link automakers with raw material suppliers to spur the growth of Egypt's automotive and electric vehicle sectors. Several vehicle manufacturers raised concerns about the need to ensure fair competition between locally assembled electric vehicles—which face import duties on components—and fully built electric vehicles that enter tariff-free. They also called for a reassessment of customs duties on production inputs. It was confirmed that these matters will be studied by the Ministries of Investment, Foreign Trade, and Finance to support local industry, particularly electric vehicle manufacturers.
