The Prime Minister was joined by key officials including Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Ibrahim Saber Khalil, Governor of Cairo, Engineer Raafat Hendy, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Technological Infrastructure Development and Digital Transformation, Engineer Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, and key officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Telecom Egypt.
Upon arrival, Dr. Madbouly received an update on the
building's structural integrity and the status of services. Minister Talaat
presented a detailed report, confirming that the fire started around 5:00 PM on
July 7, 2025, on the seventh floor of Ramses Central. Despite immediate
notification of civil defence and the presence of self-extinguishing systems,
the fire rapidly spread through cables to adjacent rooms, intensifying beyond
the control of automated systems.
Dr. Talaat explained that while civil defence arrived by
5:30 PM, the blaze had already extended to most floors and service halls,
causing partial service disruptions both geographically and across various
sectors. "Services were immediately rerouted to alternative exchanges for
the majority of Telecom Egypt's backbone network," the Minister stated.
"We also conducted manoeuvers to recover services that couldn't be routed
through these alternatives."
Minister Talaat provided a comprehensive update on service
restoration:
Landline Data Services: Outside the immediate vicinity of
Ramses Central, there were no service interruptions, and performance quality
has returned to normal. However, customers directly in the exchange's vicinity
experienced a complete outage. Service has been partially restored for these
customers, with full restoration expected by the end of today, Wednesday, July
9. For areas outside the Ramses Central radius, service was fully restored to
normal rates by 6:00 AM yesterday, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Mobile Services: At the onset of the crisis, all four
operators (Orange, Vodafone, Etisalat, and WE) saw a negative impact on service
quality, even outside the exchange's immediate area. Quality has largely been
restored, reaching an average of 95% of normal rates for all four companies
this morning. Within the exchange's vicinity, initial service quality for these
companies was severely affected. However, alternative solutions restored
service by the end of yesterday, July 8, 2025, and quality is steadily
improving to reach normal levels.
Sectoral Services:
Banking: A few banks without backup connectivity experienced
partial disruptions initially. However, network maneuvers resolved these issues
by 9:00 AM yesterday, July 8, 2025, with one remaining bank expected to be
fully operational by end of today.
Stock Exchange: Services were confirmed restored on the
evening of the incident. Out of caution for potential issues, the exchange
suspended yesterday's session (Tuesday, July 8, 2025). With broker services now
confirmed stable, the session opened normally today, Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Supply Services: These have been operational without
interruption since day one.
Airport/EgyptAir: Services in the affected area were
restored within two hours on the evening of the incident.
Emergency Services (Police): Not affected at all.
Ambulance Services (123): Initial communication disruptions
from Orange, Vodafone, and Etisalat in some governorates were resolved by 4:00
PM yesterday, July 8, 2025. Alternative numbers were provided per governorate
to ensure continued access to ambulance services.
During his inspection, the Prime Minister emphasized the
critical need to confirm the building's structural safety. Officials noted that
a technical report from the "Technical Inspection Authority for Building
Works" would be issued following a thorough examination. He also called
for an urgent recovery plan to restore the building to full operational
efficiency as quickly as possible, assuming its structural integrity is
confirmed.
Before departing, Dr. Madbouly extended his sincere thanks to the Civil Protection personnel for their dedicated efforts in combating the Ramses Central fire, commending their hard work in bringing the blaze under control.