Dena Rashed finds that mobile phones in Egypt do more than just connect people; they provide jobs In a crowded street in downtown Cairo stands a young man, neatly dressed, mobile phone in hand. Beside him, a small sign says "Talk freely for only 50 piasters". Every ten minutes or so a man or woman approaches him to use his mobile phone to make a call. "Right now I don't have a job, and my mobile phone has provided me with what I would call a decent job," said Wael Anwar, while handing his mobile to a young girl who wanted to make a call. Anwar is in his early 30s, married with two wives, and has three children. With a law degree, Anwar finds he neither could nor would work as a lawyer. "What would I do with LE120 or LE180 if I worked as a lawyer in an office; I need at least LE1,000 to be able to provide a decent standard of living for my family," he said. Not long ago, to access a pay phone the only option was your local grocer. Then pay phones sprouted on the sidewalks and today a generation of young men are taking their mobile phones out on the street offering phone services to the general public. Anwar got this business idea from a shop where he used to work, where the owner offered his customers the use of his mobile phone for 50 piasters a minute. "I pay a monthly bill where I am charged 25 piasters per minute, so I make 25 piasters profit on every person who uses my mobile," he added. His mobile phone and the subscription for the mobile phone company cost him almost LE500. For the time being, he thinks this is his only way out. "Economic conditions are very harsh for many people who can not find a job, and I believe this is a healthy alternative because I am not doing anyone any harm." An elegant man with a mobile phone in his hand approaches Anwar and asks to make a call. "Talking from his mobile is cheaper since my prepaid card charges LE1.75 per minute, and it is convenient for me," he explained. Anwar believes many people now own mobile phones regardless of their social standards, which is why a new service market has opened up. Although he is standing right next to a street pay phone, he believes some people will not be able to pay the LE5 or LE10 card necessary to use the pay phone, so "I am standing in the right place," he said. Anwar is not the only person who has thought of using a mobile phone to relieve unemployment. Mustafa Ibrahim, 28, also very neatly dressed, stands in another street downtown with a sign similar to Anwar's. Talking reluctantly, Ibrahim told Al-Ahram Weekly that he only bought a mobile phone to offer its services to pedestrians. "I have never needed a mobile phone, but I decided to start this enterprise with a friend of mine who also bought a mobile phone. We have been standing in the same place for four months," he said. As his friend had taken the day off, people were asking for Ibrahim's mobile phone. "People have come to know me personally in this area; many of my customers are street vendors who want to make a call to another mobile phone," he said. Ibrahim, on the other hand, has had many jobs, but not only in Egypt, "I have travelled to Libya, Syria, and Jordan in search of a good job, but I was never satisfied with any employment I had there. Besides, I wanted to live and work in Egypt," he added. For Ibrahim, this is only a stage in his life. "I may be making profit, but it is not a steady job. I own a small shop that I have not been able to get going yet because I don't have enough money. I think I'll be able to open it in the near future, though," he said. However, the mobile job does not run as smoothly as it looks. Street vendors who sell their merchandise on the pavements are subject to scrutiny at any time by the police and can have their merchandise confiscated for using public space for selling goods without a permit. Even though Ibrahim does not consider himself a street vendor, he subtly lowered the sign advertising his services when he noticed other street vendors packing up their wares and beating a hasty retreat in fear of the police. "I do not consider myself a street vendor, and I have never been subject to harassment by the police. I also think you can tell the difference by the person's appearance," he said. Anwar, on the other hand, was advised by a police officer to move his chair and leave the street. "I know I am not doing anything against the law, which is why I did not move, and won't do so until I find another job," he said in an angry tone. Anwar was faced with other difficulties which relate to the nature of the job. "It is a mobile phone at the end of the day, and it could be easily stolen. Which is why, if someone wants to make a call from his car, I sit in the car with him or her," he said. "A friend of mine who is in the same job was not cautious enough. A well-dressed girl came along and walked away with the phone within seconds. You have to be very careful in a job like this." Unemployment may be pushing some young men to become self-employed in this manner, but the profit-making aspect of the business attracts other "service providers". Many shop owners are jumping on the bandwagon. One block away from where Anwar is standing sits a young girl in a tiny shop selling electrical goods. She is also selling telephone services, but from a land line. And she charges LE1 per minute for calls. "People still come and talk from the shop phone; the people with mobiles can't stand there the whole day," she said. "But still I am going to buy a mobile phone and put it in the shop too, since it is more profitable." In order to make a profit, people are looking for a certain kind of mobile phone package, i.e. a "business line" which mobile phone companies provide for people who work for organisations but who use the phone for personal calls only. The calls cost 25 piasters per minute. Government officials consider this new trend as abuse of the service even though there is no legislation governing this enterprise. In the meantime, Ayman Qutb, driver and owner of a small shop, has been asking around for a "business line". "It is always good to make extra money, but I am finding it very difficult to find a 'business line'. Do you know where I can get one?" he asked.
