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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Cairo,  Egypt |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Products | Mobile phone services |
| Parent | Vodafone Group, UK |
| Subsidiaries | Sarmady |
| Website | www.vodafone.com.eg |
Vodafone Egypt, part of the UK's Vodafone Group, is a mobile network operator in Egypt, formerly known as Click GSM. Vodafone launched its 3G broadband services[1] in Egypt hours after beginning the transmission of etisalat.
History of Vodafone Egypt
Vodafone, formerly known as Click GSM,[2] has undergone a major rebranding exercise. Other Vodafone subsidiaries also went through a similar transition, to create the first truly global mobile telecommunications company, with the familiar 'look and feel' throughout the world.
Vodafone Egypt, formerly based in Cairo, is now based in 6th October City.[3] Vodafone has now two main bases: one in Smart Village (near 6 October City) which is concerned for all the company operations, and another in Cairo which is only concerned with corporate sales.
Click GSM was founded in 1998,[4] as the second mobile phone operator in Egypt, competing with the then-recently-privatized operator - mobinil - which was formerly owned by the Egyptian National Telecommunication Authority (now Telecom Egypt).
Vodafone Egypt (then Click GSM; officially Misrfone Telecommunications) penetrated the market heavily at that time by introducing the concept of prepaid mobile phone plans. At that time, only the elite and the rich could own mobile phones.
In a few years, the introduction of prepaid by Vodafone, and later on by its competitor mobinil, has made a paradigm shift in Egyptian culture, making mobile phones a necessity rather than a luxury.
As of December 2007, Vodafone serves more than 13.3 million customers nationwide.[5]
A great deal of credit should be given to the original engineering team who set up the network. They came from Vodafone UK, Vodafone Australia, Airtouch, Ericsson Ireland, Ericsson Indonesia and Panafon Greece. Some names of the original engineering are: Douglas Maynard, Garth Spencer, Iwan Kurniawan, Rustam Effendi, Akbar Sahabuddin, Yu Hui, Balwinder Singh, Armando Bolintiam.
Originally based in an apartment block in Maadi (a suburb of Cairo), the team faced numerous challenges, but has managed to successfully launch the new network. It is said that the original microwave transmission plan was designed with the aid of a Cairo tourist map and the printed ruler at the back of the Egypt lonely planet guide.
Much as the services of numerous other Western companies operating in Egypt, Vodafone has been consistently plagued with allegations of fraud and deceit towards customers, most particularly overstating monthly charges.
References
External links
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