A fire that broke out late on 7 July in Telecom Egypt’s Ramses Central Exchange, a 10-storey telecommunications hub in downtown Cairo, killed four workers and injured at least 22 others, according to the Health Ministry. Most injuries were attributed to smoke inhalation. Firefighters contained the blaze after power to the building was cut as a safety measure. The outage severed or slowed fixed-line and mobile services across Greater Cairo and parts of Giza. Internet-monitoring group NetBlocks said national connectivity fell to 62 percent of normal levels shortly after the incident and slid to 44 percent overnight, affecting digital banking, mobile payments and online trade. The disruption forced the Egyptian Exchange to cancel its 8 July trading session—its first unscheduled halt since 2011—as brokerage firms lost access to trading systems. Airlines reported limited flight delays, while rail ticketing, emergency hotlines and ATM networks faced intermittent failures. The National Telecom Regulatory Authority said services are being rerouted through alternative exchanges and should be fully restored within 24 hours. An initial assessment points to an electrical short circuit in one of the equipment rooms, but authorities have launched a formal investigation into the cause.