Telecom Egypt

Telecom Egypt
Basic information
Founded	1854
Legal Structure	Public (State-owned majority)
Industry	Telecommunications
Official website	https://www.te.eg/wps/portal/te/Personal/!ut/p/z1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfIjo8zivQNdjAz93Q28_b39jA0cfS1dDJzdzAwNfM31wwkpiAJKG-AAjgZA_VFgJQgTLM0sgSZ4uhhYBpkbGVgYQRXgMaMgN8Ig01FREQA1DOZq/dz/d5/L0lDUmlTUSEhL3dHa0FKRnNBLzROV3FpQSEhL2Vu/

Telecom Egypt (WE) is the primary landline and a major internet and mobile service provider in Egypt. While publicly traded on the Egyptian Exchange, the company remains 80% owned by the Egyptian government through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Operating under the commercial brand "WE" since 2017, the company offers fixed-line, mobile, and internet services, while controlling key national infrastructure.^[2]

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Consumer Impact Summary

Telecom Egypt has been subject to criticism from users and independent watchdogs over a range of issues:

**User freedom**: Customers report SIM card registration problems, service downtimes without notice, and inconsistent access to account termination or switching providers.
**User privacy**: Egypt's telecommunications infrastructure has faced scrutiny for being vulnerable to state surveillance. Being government-owned, Telecom Egypt has not publicly addressed these concerns.
**Business model**: As a former landline monopoly, Telecom Egypt benefits from unfair infrastructural advantages when compared to other ISPs and mobile carriers that must lease infrastructure.
**Market control**: Through WE, Telecom Egypt maintains dominant access to backbone fiber networks, creating potential anti-competitive bottlenecks for rivals.

Incidents

July 2023 – Nationwide Outage

On July 4, 2023, thousands of users across Egypt reported widespread internet outages from WE. Downdetector and local reports confirmed the incident, but Telecom Egypt offered no official explanation until days later, citing "maintenance" after public outcry.^[3]

SIM Swap and Porting Restrictions

A growing number of users have reported difficulty transferring their numbers away from WE to other carriers. While mobile portability is legally required in Egypt, some users claim Telecom Egypt staff delay or reject requests without justification.^[4]

Privacy Concerns

Digital rights groups like Access Now and EIPR have criticized Egypt's telecom ecosystem for enabling mass surveillance. While not directly confirmed, Telecom Egypt has been named in reports regarding deep packet inspection tools deployed on state internet infrastructure.^[5]

Products

**WE Internet** – ADSL and fiber internet packages with bandwidth limits and FUP (fair usage policy) restrictions.
**WE Mobile** – Mobile telecom services under Egypt’s fourth mobile license. Offers voice, data, and 4G.
**Fixed-Line Services** – Legacy landline infrastructure; still the largest provider in Egypt.
**Data Hosting & Infrastructure** – Owns data centers and undersea cable landing points (e.g., SE-ME-WE 5).