Talaat had cut short an official visit abroad to oversee the aftermath of the blaze, which ignited Monday afternoon at the Telecom Egypt exchange. The fire affected some communication services in recent hours.
"All communication services will gradually return
within 24 hours," Talaat said. He clarified that services have been
rerouted to multiple central exchanges, serving as an alternative network. He
dismissed concerns that Egypt relies solely on Ramses Central as a primary
communication hub, stating, "Egypt does not depend on just one central
exchange. Ramses Central will remain out of service for days, yet services will
gradually return after all services located in Ramses Central have been
transferred to more than one central exchange."
He noted that most critical services, including emergency,
fire, ambulance, bread distribution, airport, port, and other vital facilities,
are operating normally across most governorates. Some limited disruptions in a
few governorates were being addressed for restoration Tuesday morning.
Talaat emphasized that the situation is being continuously
monitored and urged quick completion of repairs to restore affected services.
He also directed officials to identify and compensate affected users.
The Minister extended his condolences to the families of
those who died in the fire, as well as to the leadership and employees of
Telecom Egypt, honoring them as "martyrs of duty." He also thanked
civil defense forces and firefighters for their extensive efforts in
extinguishing the fire.
During his inspection, Telecom Egypt CEO Mohamed Nasr
explained that the fire erupted in a hall on a floor dedicated to telecom
operators, which houses separate halls for each provider. The intensity of the
blaze caused it to spread to other floors. Nasr stated that all Telecom Egypt
equipment halls are equipped with security measures and self-extinguishing
systems, but the fire's force prevented them from containing it.
Following his visit to the central building, Talaat visited hospitals, including El-Mounira, Dar Al-Fouad, Saydnawy, and Coptic hospitals, where the injured were taken. He checked on their conditions and directed that they receive all necessary support and care.