Telephone numbers in some parts of Cairo have increased to eight digits, Abeer Anwar reaches for the phone Some senior citizens remember when telephone numbers were four digits and connected through an operator. Soon, that number will double for all Greater Cairo landlines, so don't be surprised when you try a frequently dialed number and can't get through -- it's time to add a digit at the beginning of the number to bring it up from seven to eight digits. It's all part of a plan by Telecom Egypt (TE) to overhaul 4.6 million landlines at 154 telephone exchanges in Greater Cairo. TE Vice-President for Planning Dawlat El-Badawi explained that while Greater Cairo covers three governorates -- Cairo, Giza and Qalyoubiya -- each will have a new digit at the beginning of the number. For Cairo, dial 2 first; for Giza, 3; and for Qalyoubiya, 4. The plan is to be implemented in four stages. The first began on 2 March and included 10 telephone exchanges in Cairo and Qalyoubiya; the next phase will be on 3 May to cover 32 exchanges in the same governorates; while the final stage will begin on 1 June and include all the remaining Cairo exchanges. Finally, on 1 July, all 79 telephone exchanges in Giza will be covered. "As part of TE's new policies, we are adding an extra digit to offer 20 million more landlines," explained El-Badawi to Al-Ahram Weekly. "With seven digits, we reached the maximum of 10 million landlines and now we need the 20 million more to meet the needs of the Egyptian market." With such expansion, new telephone exchanges will be constructed and more workers employed to meet the surge in landlines. Internet connecting numbers which start with 777, 707 and 0800 will not be affected by the change. In July, 2006, a working group studied the new system closely for six months to explore the benefits and drawbacks that may occur. When it was time to implement, El-Badawi revealed, TE began with only 10 exchanges in the first stage to test how successful the plan will be, and to correct any glitches that may occur on a small scale. To ensure that the switch is smooth and obtrusive for users, customarily TE begins operating the new system late Thursday and early Friday since it is mostly dead time for phone users. "That way, customers won't be affected by the network being down," she elaborated. "Billing time is also taken into consideration, to ensure that clients are not double billed for the same phone line with two different numbers." TE was also keen on clearly and fully announcing the change in good time. The addition of an eighth digit was publicised through various media, including flyers, and a two- month automated message will inform callers that the number has been changed and guide them to the new number. Meanwhile, the Call Centre at 111 and Directory at 140 will give the new numbers. A scheme to change the numbers of the entire country will conclude by the end of 2008, with Alexandria being the next port of call after the summer months, so as not to disturb holidaymakers. While there was a proposal of using area codes, instead of an eighth digit, El-Badawi said it was shelved because it was too complicated. For example, to make a call from Zamalek, in Cairo, to Mohandessin, in Giza, one would need to dial 023 first. "While this is an easier plan to implement, users would have suffered greatly, trying to remember the various codes and which district is in which governorate," she opined.
