Service restoration underway after Cairo telecom fire, minister tells PM
The visit came after a blaze late on Monday at the central Cairo building killed four workers and injured at least 22 others, triggering a nationwide disruption of critical services and a sweeping response from authorities.
During the visit, Communications Minister Amr Talaat reported that services were gradually returning to normal after being rerouted through alternative exchanges. He explained that outside the immediate vicinity of the Ramses Central building, internet and landline voice services had been restored, while mobile service quality for all four operators was back to an average of 95% of normal levels.
Talaat also briefed the prime minister on sectoral services, noting that a partial outage in the banking sector had been resolved. He confirmed that the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), which suspended all trading on Tuesday as a precaution, had reopened normally on Wednesday after broker services were stabilised.
The minister added that the subsidised food distribution system and emergency services had been operating largely without interruption.
Madbouly stressed the need to take all necessary measures to confirm the building's structural safety and called for an urgent recovery plan to return the facility to full operation as soon as possible, pending a technical assessment. Before leaving the site, the prime minister thanked the civil defence personnel for their efforts in extinguishing the blaze.
The fire prompted a swift response from Egyptian authorities on Tuesday to contain the fallout. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) temporarily doubled the daily cash withdrawal limit to 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($10,400) to facilitate transactions amid the disruption.
The victims died from smoke inhalation after being trapped inside the building, authorities said. State-owned operator Telecom Egypt issued a statement mourning the loss of its employees, referring to them as 'martyrs of duty' who remained at their posts 'until the final moments to protect telecom infrastructure.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
7 hours ago
- Zawya
Egypt Participates in Drafting and Launching the G20 Development Working Group Ministerial Declaration
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, represented the Arab Republic of Egypt at the G20 Development Working Group Ministerial Meeting held in South Africa. She also participated in drafting and launching the Ministerial Declaration at the conclusion of the meetings. The Ministerial Declaration, issued at the meetings, affirmed that development financing is at the core of shared priorities. It also highlighted the urgent need to enhance domestic resource mobilization, address illicit financial flows, and strengthen the role of multilateral and innovative financing mechanisms. The G20 reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its pledge to leave no one behind, and its enhanced shared responsibility in confronting global challenges and interconnected crises, from debt to global inequalities, climate change, and the SDG financing gap. During her participation, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat highlighted Egypt's experience in launching the "Country Approaches for Financing Sustainable Development and Climate Action" initiative within the Seville Platform for Action, with the aim of advancing integrated financing frameworks globally. Egypt co-leads this initiative (alongside South Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, UNICEF, regional development banks, and others). Its objectives include 100 countries implementing integrated financing programs or country financing platforms funded by public, private, and philanthropic sources by 2030. Egypt has already begun joint work with Mexico to understand the mechanism for designing and implementing national platforms. Regarding stimulating large-scale investments, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of allowing the private sector to play an effective role in development financing, improving governance in international financial institutions, and strengthening the United Nations' role in setting global economic rules. She also stressed the significance of debt sustainability and updating the basis for calculating Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) to ensure a fairer assessment for developing countries, particularly in Africa, and to support these countries with incentive tools and mechanisms to overcome ongoing debt challenges. In line with the G20 ministers' declaration, which highlights the urgent need to bridge the $4.5 trillion annual SDG financing gap, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat affirmed the pressing need to expand blended finance and public-private partnerships, and to implement debt-for-development swap programs. She pointed to Egypt's experience, particularly with Italy, Germany, and China, in providing fiscal space for investment in high-impact projects in food security, women's empowerment, environmental protection, and climate change, making it a successful and replicable model. Furthermore, between 2020 and May 2025, Egypt successfully mobilized approximately $15.6 billion for private sector financing from international partners, with $4 billion allocated to the private sector within the Country Platform – the "NWFE" program. Despite the absence of an internationally agreed definition for Global Public Goods, the G20 Ministerial Declaration stressed the urgent need to enable the provision of these goods, along with the importance of taking action to support low-income and developing countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda in accordance with their national priorities and contributing to global well-being. This is what the Development Working Group calls for: enhancing global consensus, research, and cooperation on the protection and provision of Global Public Goods. The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation reiterated in her speech that development financing and investments in essential sectors represent the cornerstone of sustainable economic and social growth and have a direct impact on human well-being and long-term productivity. She confirmed the necessity of achieving a common vision in line with the G20 Ministerial Declaration, through mobilizing long-term and affordable financing and rethinking multilateral cooperation. With over $460 trillion in global assets, the potential to bridge SDG financing gaps is within reach – if countries redirect capital towards inclusive and sustainable priorities. H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat concluded her speech by stating that the outcomes of this Ministerial Meeting must represent the beginning of a practical phase – to translate commitments into tangible progress, moving from policies to practices with strong political will, while ensuring that no country is left behind in our pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable future for all. It is worth noting that the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation and plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. Its membership includes 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union. South Africa assumed the G20 presidency from December 1, 2024, to November 2025, and is committed to leading the G20 by focusing on people, development, and solutions in a complex global geopolitical landscape. This comes against the backdrop of Egypt's pioneering experience – as a middle-income country – in balancing its national priorities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation - Egypt.
The National
16 hours ago
- The National
France, Germany and UK call on Israel to lift aid restrictions on Gaza
Rubio condemns French decision to recognise Palestinian state Qatar and Egypt say Gaza ceasefire efforts continue France says Palestine recognition 'goes against' Hamas stance Gaza starvation a 'moral failure' by global powers, UN chief says USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid At least 59,587 Palestinians killed and 143,498 wounded since Gaza war began
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Qatar and Egypt affirm the continuation of their tireless efforts over the Gaza mediation file
The State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt affirm the continuation of their intensive efforts in the mediation file of Gaza Strip, aiming to reach an agreement that brings an end to the war, alleviates the humanitarian suffering in the enclave, ensures the protection of civilians, and facilitates the exchange of detainees and prisoners. The two countries indicate that some progress has been achieved during the most recent intensive round of negotiations, which lasted for three weeks. They affirm that the suspension of negotiations with a view to holding consultations before resuming dialogue once again is a normal procedure within the context of these complex negotiations. The two states call for refraining from being swayed by leaks circulated by certain media outlets in attempts to undermine these efforts and influence the course of the negotiation process. They emphasize that such leaks do not reflect reality and originate from parties uninformed about the progress of the negotiations. The two countries call on international media outlets to act responsibly and uphold the ethics of journalism, by highlighting the unprecedented suffering taking place in the Gaza Strip, rather than playing a role in undermining efforts aimed at ending the war on the Strip. The two countries, in partnership with the United States of America, reaffirm their commitment to continuing efforts toward reaching a comprehensive agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.
