In the heart of Egypt's bustling capital, a fire that broke out late on Monday, July 7, at the iconic Ramses Central building quickly turned into a national emergency. The telecommunications hub—originally inaugurated in 1927 by King Fuad I—was engulfed in flames, sending plumes of smoke over downtown Cairo and triggering a ripple effect across the country's most sensitive infrastructure. The fire, which claimed the lives of four individuals and injured 39 others, did not just torch an old building—it paralyzed Egypt's digital backbone. The Ramses Central is a cornerstone of the country's telecommunications network, serving as a major interconnection point for internet, voice, and data services for the nation's top providers, including Vodafone, Orange, WE, and e&. As authorities scrambled to contain the blaze, critical services collapsed one after another—from disrupted mobile and internet access to the unexpected shutdown of the Egyptian Exchange and bank branches halting key operations. Communications Breakdown For hours, millions across Greater Cairo found themselves unable to make calls across different networks, while landline and broadband internet connections slowed to a crawl or dropped entirely. According to NetBlocks, a global internet observatory, national internet connectivity fell to 62% of normal levels at the peak of the crisis. Egypt's Minister of Communications, Amr Talaat, confirmed that services would be restored gradually within 24 hours and assured the public that users would be compensated. Efforts were underway to reroute traffic through alternate exchanges. Markets Hit: Egyptian Exchange Suspends Trading The fallout quickly reached the financial markets. On Tuesday morning, July 8, the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) suspended trading for the day—a highly unusual move prompted by the failure of its electronic systems to display price data and process transactions. "This was a precautionary measure to ensure market transparency and fairness," EGX Chairman Ahmed El Sheikh told Asharq Business. He clarified that no internal systems were compromised, but that connectivity issues made operations untenable for the day. Banks in Disarray Banking operations were also impacted. Egypt's two largest state-owned banks, Banque Misr and the National Bank of Egypt, issued apologies for service disruptions—particularly in ATM withdrawals and online banking. In response, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) temporarily increased the daily cash withdrawal limit for individuals and companies from EGP 250,000 to EGP 500,000. It also extended operating hours for several branches until 5:00 PM to accommodate demand. Digital banking was hit especially hard. Online and mobile banking apps experienced outages across Cairo, and many point-of-sale (POS) machines stopped functioning. The popular InstaPay app also faced service interruptions, with users reporting issues on social media. Airports and Media Navigate the Crisis Despite initial concerns, the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that operations at Cairo International Airport resumed without major delays, thanks to quick coordination with telecom authorities. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Media Production City reported that while live broadcasts continued uninterrupted, some live program preparations faced logistical hurdles due to the communications blackout. Why Ramses Central Matters The scale of disruption underscores Ramses Central's crucial role. Strategically located near Ramses Square, the facility processes over 40% of Egypt's domestic and international telecom traffic and houses critical switching equipment for routing calls and data both locally and abroad. It also serves as a primary node in Egypt's fiber optic network, linking government ministries, financial institutions, airports, and broadcasters. Any outage there, even temporary, can send shockwaves through multiple sectors. As of Tuesday evening, cooling efforts at the site were still underway, and investigations into the cause of the fire had begun. The government has cut off power and gas in the area as a safety precaution, while emergency response teams remain on high alert. A Wake-Up Call for Infrastructure Resilience The incident has raised urgent questions about the vulnerability of Egypt's centralized telecom infrastructure. As the country continues to modernize its digital economy, experts say there may be a need for greater decentralization and redundancy in core systems. For now, the priority remains restoring full service and ensuring that affected sectors—particularly banking and communications—can return to stability without long-term damage. Daily News Egypt will continue monitoring developments related to the Ramses Central fire and its economic implications.
