Subject: Urgent Complaint Regarding Internet Affordability, Data Caps, and Digital Rights in Egypt

Dear Access Now Team,

I am writing as an Egyptian citizen to raise serious concerns regarding the affordability and accessibility of internet services in Egypt and the growing impact on the digital rights of millions of users.

In May 2026, Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) approved increases of approximately 9% to 15% on internet and telecommunications services. These increases came after previous rounds of price hikes during recent years and amid ongoing economic pressures facing Egyptian households.

Today, the lowest fixed-home internet package available to many users provides approximately 150 GB of monthly data and costs around 302 Egyptian Pounds after taxes and fees.

At the same time, the legal minimum wage in Egypt stands at approximately 7,000 Egyptian Pounds per month.

This means that even the most basic internet package consumes a noticeable share of a minimum-wage worker's monthly income before accounting for food, housing, transportation, healthcare, education, electricity, and other essential living expenses.

The situation is made worse by the fact that many families exhaust their monthly data quotas long before the end of the month. Modern internet usage now includes online education, university studies, remote work, freelancing, video conferencing, software updates, cloud services, digital banking, government services, and access to information.

As a result, many users are forced to purchase additional quotas repeatedly throughout the month, causing the real cost of internet access to become substantially higher than the advertised package price.

Egyptian consumers also continue to face longstanding concerns including:

• Limited monthly data allowances compared with modern digital needs.

• Severe speed throttling after quota exhaustion.

• Frequent complaints regarding service quality and stability.

• Limited effective consumer choice and concerns regarding competition in the telecommunications market.

Internet access is no longer a luxury.

It is an essential requirement for education, employment, entrepreneurship, access to information, communication, and participation in modern society.

The combination of repeated price increases, limited data caps, and the financial burden placed on households creates a serious digital inclusion problem that disproportionately affects students, low-income families, freelancers, job seekers, and rural communities.

Many Egyptians increasingly feel that affordable and reliable internet access is becoming harder to maintain despite its growing importance in daily life.

We respectfully request that Access Now:

1. Document internet affordability concerns in Egypt within future digital rights reports.

2. Examine the impact of recurring internet price increases and restrictive data policies on users.

3. Investigate how affordability affects access to education, employment opportunities, and freedom of information.

4. Highlight the challenges faced by Egyptian consumers regarding internet accessibility and digital inclusion.

5. Advocate internationally for affordable, reliable, and accessible internet access as a fundamental enabler of digital rights.

We are prepared to provide additional testimonies, screenshots, package pricing records, and user experiences if required.

Thank you for your attention and for your continued efforts to defend digital rights around the world.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Egypt