”Fire at Ramses Central Exchange in Downtown Cairo Disrupts Telecommunications Service
A fire broke out inside the Ramses Central Exchange in the heart of Egypt’s capital, Cairo, on Monday, disrupting telecommunications and internet services.
In a statement, the Cairo Governorate said that the Central Operations Room and Control Center received a report of a fire on the seventh floor of the Ramses Central Exchange building, which consists of ten floors. The building is a key data center for telecommunications.
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority clarified that the fire occurred in one of the equipment rooms of Telecom Egypt inside the Ramses Exchange, "which led to a temporary disruption of telecommunications services," adding that "work is underway to gradually restore the service in the coming hours."
The Authority stated that "Civil Defense teams, in cooperation with Telecom Egypt’s technical teams, are working to control the fire, and necessary measures have been taken to disconnect the power supply from the entire exchange building."
Meanwhile, NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet connectivity worldwide, confirmed that "a significant internet outage has been recorded in Egypt."
NetBlocks explained that network data showed that connectivity levels dropped to 62% of normal, amid reports of a fire at the Ramses Exchange.
Video footage circulating on social media platforms, some of which was published by the Cairo Governorate, showed thick smoke billowing from the building.
In a related development, a number of internet and telecommunications users in Cairo and Giza reported difficulty accessing services.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the resulting damage remain unknown.
