Free Internet service, with users to pay only local telephone call fares will be put into effect in the Greater Cairo area of January 14, 2002, the daily Al Ahram reported, citing the Minister of Communications and Information, Ahmed Nazeef as saying.
The service will be provided consecutively to other districts before the middle of next year, added the paper.
“In order to implement the service, the ministry decided to cut down the Internet lease line charges by 50 percent as of next January in addition to cutting down the charge rates for other services provided by the Egyptian Telecom. This is to encourage private companies which will provide the internet free service and help them in bearing the costs of installing equipment and leasing Internet spaces,” said the minister.
He added, “These cuts will apply to lease charges and will cancel the expenses charged for the installment of the information transfer lines which are usually paid once before the service is launched.”
The minister said that the official inauguration of the Internet free service will be part of the conference on communications to be held next month in Cairo.
“The citizens will use the service without having to subscribe beforehand and they will be charged only for the telephone calls which they make to link with the Internet which are currently at 10 piasters per six minutes (about 3 cents) – Albawaba.com
