Mobile Operators On Full Alert; Presidential Elections Eve
Mobile operators have started to raise the state of alert as the post-revolution presidential elections are coming up within the next few days. Those companies seeks to balance the quality of networks against providing the finest services to allow the voters to make use of the up-to-date technology.
Eng. Hatem Dewidar, CEO of Vodafone Egypt, said the mobile companies will witness days similar to rush hours, when presidential elections start.
Dewidar assured to Amwal Al Ghad that Vodafone will provide free number 5151 to answer clients’ inquiries about the locations about the electoral polls.
“This service would be provided in cooperation with the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC) ‘s website.” Dewidar said
“Vodafone will use the voters’ data base to know the locations of the electoral polls.”
Dewidar expressed his concerns over the high prices of diesel and the mobile operators’ less amounts of the subsidized diesel. Dewidar also expressed his worries about lifting diesel subsidies against the three mobile operators.
Tamer El-Zanaty, head of Internet services sector at Etisalat Egypt that the three mobile phone operators (Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat) have the required experience for dealing with such events, affirming that the networks will not be affected in the presidential elections over the expected overcrowds as there are 51 electoral constituencies.
The three mobile phone operators offer voters short messages services (SMS) to know their electoral polls. This service is of the best services because of its being easily operated and saved in the mobile. Telecom Egypt has done its role in providing people with information about their electoral polls without making mistakes in the parliamentary elections. However, this service did not affect on the mobile operators as each company has its users, El-Zanaty added.
The government’s website has played an important role in informing voters with the places of the electoral polls. Outside Egypt, voters used the website to get the ballot paper and no problems reported as there are few voters outside. Voters inside Egypt use the website to get information only on the electoral process.
El-Zanaty added that the electronic government project necessitates an internal restructuring in the government. The presidential elections website needs a new database. Many reports affirmed that there are dead people listed on the official voters’ lists.
Osman Abu Al-Nasr, country director in Egypt for Nokia Siemens Networks, affirmed that defect occurs in the networks in case of unpredicted pressure in overcrowded areas such as in football stadiums. Abu Al-Nasr expected that there will no problems in the performance of the mobile operators in the upcoming presidential elections as there are many electoral polls spread across Egypt, meaning that there will be no large crowds.
Mobile operators will take the same procedures taken during the parliamentary elections as there were no problems reported, Abu Al-Nasr said, adding that there will probably be a team in all place to solve potential problems.
Abu Al-Nasr added that getting information on electoral polls via landline service through 140, mobile SMS through 5151 or presidential elections website, stressing that each service has its users. However, SMS is the most frequently used because of being easily operated and saved in the mobile.
