Vodafone Group, which owns a majority stake in Vodafone Egypt, was questioned at its annual conference about the company's role in a government crackdown in response to massive protests in January. Vodafone cut off cell phone service for a short period during the 18-days of protests that eventually ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Pro-government messages were also sent to customers during the unrest. The company's role resurfaced when its outgoing chairman, Sir John Bond was questioned on its role by Brett Solomon, the director of Access, a freedom of information lobby group, the Guardian reported Tuesday. Bond said that the company was bound by licensing agreements to do so. Similar agreements are held in 26 other countries that Vodafone operates in, which could result in a repeat of what happened in Cairo in January. Solomon asked Bon “How prepared are you for the future crises that are sure to happen in the 70-odd countries in which you operate?” Access is lobbying telecom companies to have certain “crisis protocols” with governments, in which customers can make emergency calls, governments do not hack calls and emails, and that operators cannot spread propaganda. Access also called for an Audit of Vodafone's agreements to prevent a repeat of what happened in Egypt, according to the International Business Times. In summation Bond said that “on balance Vodafone has very clearly been a force for good in Egypt.” Vodafone has over 32 million mobile subscribers in Egypt. BM
