Tuesday, Jun 07, 2011
(This story was originally published Monday.)
AMMAN (Zawya Dow Jones)--Vodafone Egypt hasn't received word yet from the minister of telecommunications regarding compensation for damage to its infrastructure and loss of voice income caused by the country's revolution, but expects a reply between June and July, the company's chief executive officer said Monday.
"We have submitted a report with our damages in March, but it hasn't been answered yet," Hatem Dowidar told Zawya Dow Jones. "The minister said that between June and July it [the amount] will be decided."
Dowidar declined to say how much the telco was seeking in compensation but "the damages are mainly in network and shops". Dowidar also said that part of the damage caused by the unrest will be covered by insurance.
Internet service providers, or ISPs, in Egypt said in late February that they would compensate subscribers for the interruption of services between Jan. 28 to Feb. 2 when political turmoil escalated in the country.
The Egyptian government restored domestic internet services on Feb. 2 after a week-long shutdown aimed at making it harder for demonstrators to organize protests. Mobile voice services were also disrupted in Egypt on Jan. 28, before President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, putting an end to his 30-year regime.
The Egyptian Co. for Mobile Services, or Mobinil, Egypt's largest operator by subscribers, said in February that damages caused by political events in Egypt were valued between 80 million Egyptian pounds ($13.5 million) and EGP100 million. Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said it will pay domestic mobile phone operators a total of EGP100 million in compensation for the disruption of services during the revolution earlier this year.
-By Shereen El Gazzar, Dow Jones Newswires, +9714 446 1684 Shereen.elgazzar@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-06-11 0354GMT
