On July 11, 2025, a smaller fire broke out at Ramses Exchange, just days after a major blaze claimed four lives and severely impacted internet and banking services in central Cairo. Despite the rapid response from local authorities, the situation has left many citizens grappling with erratic internet connectivity. The Egyptian government has launched an investigation into the causes of these incidents and aims to restore full operational capability promptly.
Cairo Telecommunications Hub Experiencing Multiple Fires Amid Connectivity Crisis
Cairo Telecommunications Hub Experiencing Multiple Fires Amid Connectivity Crisis
A recent fire at a key telecommunications facility in Cairo has raised concerns following previous incidents that disrupted essential services.
The article text:
A fire broke out on Thursday evening at one of Egypt’s main telecommunications hubs, the Ramses Exchange in central Cairo, as reported by state media. This incident follows a larger fire earlier in the week that resulted in four fatalities and significant disruptions to internet, transport, and banking services across the city.
Local media outlet Al Ahram noted that the Thursday fire was considerably smaller and was extinguished quickly. Currently, there is no official confirmation regarding the causes of either fire, prompting Egyptian prosecutors to initiate an investigation into the incidents.
The Ramses Exchange, operated by state-owned Telecom Egypt, serves as a critical facility for managing telecommunications services. While services are reported to have mostly returned to normal, many users continue to experience unstable internet connections, particularly in proximity to the Exchange.
The earlier incident had dire consequences, killing at least four individuals and injuring over two dozen people. Internet connectivity dropped sharply, reaching only 40% of typical levels, according to NetBlocks, an organization monitoring internet outages. Furthermore, the fires had a domino effect, disrupting the stock exchange, banking services, and air travel, where reports surfaced of travelers resorting to handwritten boarding passes due to system outages. Customers faced difficulties purchasing train tickets in several regions for nearly two days.
In the aftermath of the Monday fire, which originated from a floor housing telecommunications equipment, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the Exchange and promised a recovery plan aimed at restoring full functionality to the facility as soon as possible. The Ministry of Communications confirmed that despite existing fire suppression systems, the flames rapidly spread to additional floors, exacerbating the crisis.
A fire broke out on Thursday evening at one of Egypt’s main telecommunications hubs, the Ramses Exchange in central Cairo, as reported by state media. This incident follows a larger fire earlier in the week that resulted in four fatalities and significant disruptions to internet, transport, and banking services across the city.
Local media outlet Al Ahram noted that the Thursday fire was considerably smaller and was extinguished quickly. Currently, there is no official confirmation regarding the causes of either fire, prompting Egyptian prosecutors to initiate an investigation into the incidents.
The Ramses Exchange, operated by state-owned Telecom Egypt, serves as a critical facility for managing telecommunications services. While services are reported to have mostly returned to normal, many users continue to experience unstable internet connections, particularly in proximity to the Exchange.
The earlier incident had dire consequences, killing at least four individuals and injuring over two dozen people. Internet connectivity dropped sharply, reaching only 40% of typical levels, according to NetBlocks, an organization monitoring internet outages. Furthermore, the fires had a domino effect, disrupting the stock exchange, banking services, and air travel, where reports surfaced of travelers resorting to handwritten boarding passes due to system outages. Customers faced difficulties purchasing train tickets in several regions for nearly two days.
In the aftermath of the Monday fire, which originated from a floor housing telecommunications equipment, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the Exchange and promised a recovery plan aimed at restoring full functionality to the facility as soon as possible. The Ministry of Communications confirmed that despite existing fire suppression systems, the flames rapidly spread to additional floors, exacerbating the crisis.
