The Egyptian government’s recent ban on Internet and mobile services may have cost the country around $110 million (€80.9 million), according to industry analysts.
Hassam Barhoush, a senior analyst at Pyramid Research, has estimated that the ban on Internet services could have cost $5 million per day while the clamp down on mobile services may have carried a price tag of $14 million per day.
Barhoush said the above amounts did not include the loss of income from other sectors affected by the communications blackout.
A report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said IT outsourcing firms in Egypt made $1 billion in revenue last year – roughly $3 million per working day which, when added to the other two figures takes the total cost to around $110 million.
Egyptian authorities locked down the Internet for five days to prevent social networking sites being used to organize anti-government protests. It also ordered mobile networks to be shut down, and began using Vodafone Egypt’s infrastructure to send pro government propaganda, the operator claims.
Angel Dobardziev, an Ovum analyst, said the Egyptian crisis highlighted the potential political risks telecom operators face in emerging markets.