Vodafone closes Egypt call center

Continuing unrest in Egypt has forced Vodafone to close it's Cairo call centre (Image: file photo)

Vodafone announced over the weekend that it was shutting its Cairo call center and moving to New Zealand. The Cairo call center has managed 25 percent of New Zealand’s total helpline calls since 2007 and employs approximately 100 Egyptians.

The center was closed for a month during the unrest that brought former President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, but the transfer has been decided according to “changing customer needs,” said Kelly Moore, Vodafone’s Director of Service.

“With more and more customers now having their mobile and fixed telecommunications with Vodafone, they want a consistent experience across both our mobile and fixed contact centers. Considering our customer management in New Zealand enables us to do that,” added Moore.

The Cairo call center’s staff has been told to stay at home, as “most of their work involved nightshifts, at which time a curfew was in force,” said Moore.

Staff working in Cairo have been evacuated with their families, said Tom Chignell, Vodafone Corporate Affairs.

Maged Osman, Egypt’s minister of communications, met Vittorio Colao, Vodafone’s CEO, last week in order to discuss the company’s future investments in Egypt.

Colao assured Osman of Vodafone’s “keen interest” in maintaining its partnership with Egypt, and reiterated its commitment to boosting investments in Egypt in the next period.

The number of mobile phone subscriptions in Egypt increased by 27.7 percent up from the year before, and up to 70.66 million custmers, according to government data.

Egypt’s three mobile operators Etisalat, Mobinil and Vodafone provided an estimated 55.352 million customers with service.

by Davide Morandini