Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao said “Egyptian authorities” had asked the company to “turn down the network totally.” Mr. Colao said Vodafone determined that the request was legitimate under Egyptian law, and therefore complied with the request. “I hope” the decision will be reversed by Egypt “very soon,” Mr. Colao said, in comments to a Davos session on mobile devices.
Earlier Friday, U.K.-headquartered Vodafone had said in a statement that all mobile operators in Egypt had been “instructed to suspend services in parts of Egypt. Under Egyptian legislation, the authorities have the right to issue such an order and we are obliged to comply with it.”
The move came as the Egyptian government’s crackdown on protesters intensified with access to most forms of mass communication, including the Internet, mobile and SMS shut down.
Source: Wall Street Journal
By: Alan Murray
